


Fade

by mikachan



Category: Black Butler, Kuroshitsuji
Genre: Demon Ciel, M/M, arrogant sebastian, spillingashes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-10
Updated: 2015-09-13
Packaged: 2018-02-12 13:27:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 27,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2111610
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mikachan/pseuds/mikachan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ciel Phantomhive feels nothing, anymore.  Not a single thread of empathy clung to the young demon.  He chuckles to himself as he remembers that Sebatian was still destined to be his servant 'till the end of time.  That didn't mean that he couldn't hurt him, deprive him, love him, hold him... for as long as they still stood as creatures of the night, rules are bent, broken and decayed to the point of endangerment.  His strength is mighty, his wit percise and his shadow hidden from all the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

Ciel Phantomhive feels nothing, anymore. Not a single thread of empathy clung to the young demon. He chuckles to himself as he remembers that Sebatian was still destined to be his servant 'till the end of time. That didn't mean that he couldn't hurt him, deprive him, love him, hold him... for as long as they still stood as creatures of the night, rules are bent, broken and decayed to the point of endangerment. His strength is mighty, his wit precise and his shadow hidden from all the world.

The piano off key, he sits down to play, his fingers dancing lazily across the keys, whispering a tune he'd never heard before. Yet notes appear in his mind's eye as he accesses the imagination of his lies. He ends the ominous tune on a G flat chord, the lower octaves quivering as he hold the pedal down for as long as time allows.

The lights are dim as he stands once more, silently moving across his new mansion, decorated in black and grey, hues of red peeping out of clever places in the walls. "Sebastian." He mutters, his voice low and quiet. The boy stills and Sebastian appears behind him, his gaze hot on his neck.

The servant silently bends down, his breath ghosting the boy's cold neck, sending shivers of pleasure down his spine. He closes his eyes. "Come with me."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk where I'm going with this one,I just had a need for demon!ciel x Sebastian.

The two lead one another into a room piled with broken records, a small bed sleeping in the corner. No words are uttered as the clicking of the door sounds. In an instant, Ciel's arms are wrapped around Sebastian, his mouth working feverishly against his.

S-Seba-stian..." mutters the boy as his body is easily lifted from the ground and set on the dusty bed, the vacant sheets shifting beneath him. No need for either of the two to sleep; the beds stay neat though the time spent in the mansion. Sebastian's hands glide lazily across the young demon's stomach, earning a small sigh from Ciel as he drapes his arms around Sebastian's neck, closing his eyes in a smirk. Sebastian leans down further, savoring the taste of Ciel on his tongue. Ciel leans back as the kisses his neck over and over, taking his time in licking the shall of his ear. The former Phantomhive's smirl fades as his mouth hangs slightly open, his eyes still closed in bliss. 

He becomes very hot, hastily shrugging off his black overcoat before returning to gaze endlessly into Sebastian's glowing eyes, trailing a finger along his jaw... his neck... and down to his chest, gripping his shirt tightly in his strong grip. "Kiss me again." Is the un-necessary order that comes, followed by Sebastian's tongue lightly pressing against his lips. He welcome's the intrusion, his fingers entangling themselves in his hair.

The sound of a bell rings in the distance, disturbing the crown surrounding the manor.

"Hit me. Hold me. Kiss me. Love me."

His commands are always the same, though the situation would not vary if these orders had never been uttered. Ciel's bite is strong, his emotions wild; evenly matched against Sebastian. As his mystery continues, Sebastian shall stand by gracefully. Now, as they lay there on the unused bed, the bell still sounds steadily over the wolfs howl; the onset of night approaching.

"Yes, my lord."

Sebastian's answer is always the same.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's getting more into the story now, and I have some plot ideas, but feel free to suggest anything!

From the dead, black trees in the front yard, to the grey cobblestone walkway leading out to the courtyard, there was a certain soundless-ness about the reality in which the two demons call home. Some call it 'hell', but it's the place in which Sebastian and Ciel make their stay. The aroma of the blood red roses surround the younger demon in his garden as he sits on the cold stone of one of the many benches scattered about. 

Sebastian sits near him, leaning forward, his forearms resting upon his thighs. The butler is staring the the small pond of dead water in front of the two; the illusionary breeze carrying flower petals into he dark liquid, swirling them around in ripples. As Sebastian's intent stare masks his face, Ciel speaks, 

"would you ever miss he mortal world... if we were to stay here for eternity; just the two of us?" 

"No."

Sebastian's blunt reply silences the boy as he contemplates the statement. Would he (Ciel), miss the mortal world? To be quite honest, Ciel never got to say goodbye. His faked death lies in his palms the way he lies his head into Sebastian's arms at night. Love had never been part of this... well, it had been. When he was mortal his emotions ran rampant, being caught by the wind and sweeping away his clarity... but since he'd become... this... he'd not been as lucky. 

Of course he loved Sebastian, even though he'd never told him before. Sebastian loved him to the best of his ability, and when they became of the same kind, the savage way of life left them alone and remembering. Demons cannot love as a human may; they feel in a way a mortal being cannot... in an indescribable hunger that overtakes them... almost drives them mad. 

"I would not either. I would anger over the way life used to be." Ciel leans his head back, looking to the dark sky's above them. The dim stars shine in the haunting light of the far-away moon, casting an eerie shadow upon the manor. Sebastian's gaze is marveling, for when Ciel turns to send a smug look his way, Sebastian's smirk is hollowing its way through Ciel. 

They were not affectionate creatures, yet in some moments the urge takes them in and sweeps them away in a breathless, reminiscent pause. 

"The way life used to be wasn't much different, young master. You were caught in your hell, and I was caught in mine."

"Do not call me that, Sebastian... I despise the way in which you act like a servant."

"Am I not?"

"Not to me, your not."

There's a pause in the spoken words being exchanged as dark storm clouds envelop and the moon's shine. "What if I broke the contract, Sebastian? What if I said it should be no more? Would you stay with me?" Ciel's voice is no louder than a whispered lullaby, the dreamy atmosphere choking them in sentimentality. The complete darkness is offered for a longer moment, and Sebastian's breath becomes heavy as he leans closer to run his fingers through his master's hair. 

"That is quite a big question, and the possibility of such a scenario is impossible, my lord." 

"Call me Ciel. That's an order."

Ciel's human origin has conducted an abnormal being. Feelings in which he has felt for so long occasionally break through, sometimes leaving marks wherever they touch. His fear of fire provides an example, much like his mundane love for Sebastian which peeks through from time to time. And much like the way the other creatures of shadow shunned demons like Sebastian; demons who may feel more than average, life had shunned Ciel through the time he called himself a Phantomhive. He was still a Phantomhive, still the same boy... right?

The utter darkness resounds in a thick fog as Sebastian's hands graze along Ciel's jawline as his mouth opens. 

"Yes -"

"No... not another sound, Sebastian."

Ciel covers Sebastian's mouth with his own, a hand fisting against his shoulder as the other roams the length of his back... and they tilt their heads. Like always, the feverish exchange leaves them both breathless, Ciel's small body pressed against Sebastian... and he leans in for more, pulling him closer and holding him tight...

and like always, the commands air through the night, their ominous whisper followed by a silence only the whispering willow is quiet enough to hear.


	4. Chapter 4

Ciel hadn't thought of the fact that demons could have nightmares... he hoped such a mundane thing would be abolished along with his mortal body... oh, how unture that had been.

His gasps and screams fill the empty space as he wakes from his terror, feeling all too human. His wild eyes frantically scan the room for any sign of danger, and when he finds none, he heaves a sigh of relief; his trembling hands gripping at his own hair falling around his eyes - squeezed shut.

Sebastian's footsteps echo about the halls as the doorknob to Ciel's room opens.

"You know, Ciel... you don't need sleep."

Ciel knows full well that rest is irrelevant in his current state, yet the comfort of what he'd been used to for so long is etched into his brain as deeply as his cold heart. Sebastian inches closer to the bed, and Ciel'ls shaking body shies away from the butler. He sits next to him on the lavish bed, his concerned gaze scanning the boy.

Ciel's dream had been about him... his crimson eyes turning to black as he killed everyone the boy had ever loved. Sebastian sent his parents up in flame, brutally murdered Madam Red after declaring to him that he should have never been born - should have never formed a contract with him - before eating his aching soul without a second thought.

Sebastian's gaze softens as he sees the terrified look upon his master`s face. Ciel winces as a finger brushes along his chin.

"Your dream was about me, no?"

Ciel nods, a silent tear quickly dancing along his cold and tired cheek.

"Ciel, you know know I'd never hurt you. I simply wouldn't be able to."

"I know that, Sebastion... but I can't help my ridiculous human nature."

Ciel bows his head, shame invading his body language. There is a puase, then a whisper,

"Will you be alright, Ciel?"

"In the short run, I suppose I will be."

He lays his head back down, turning away from Sebastian. 

But Sebastian sees the boy's trembling shoulders... he hears the faint sniffing and rustling of sheets beneath the boy. 

Sebastian knows Ciel is weeping as he turns and quietly takes his leave.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are explained in this chapter to help character development. I'll be able to get more into the emotions and progression of the actual story now, so bear with me! XD

And Ciel's 'normal' behavior returns; his heartless words... the cruel, endearing way he walks. The long nights spent in silence as the un-needed sleep dawns a new day. No words are spoken to address his sudden wave of human emotion that surfaces, only to be swept away as soon as it came into view. This tended to happen a lot: the quick and irregular change of heart from the boy, the weeks spent in utter heartlessness only to explode in a sudden, exasperated cry or nightmare... sometimes even a long, bruising kiss.

None are to know weather he young demon was putting on an act in the usual hours; faking satisfaction in nothingness. The demonic and supernatural worlds have little - if any - evidence regarding half-bloods like Ciel... Sebastian's knowledge extends only to know that his emotions being affected in this strange yet beautiful tidal wave, is purely result of Ciel's current situation. Sebastian wants only to protect his master; his vow to protect and serve until he consumed his soul still existing (even though Ciel no longer has a human soul)... yet the butler knows the former Earl could easily fall as opportune prey to canna-ballistic creatures. As long has Sebastian was around, there would be no need to worry. 

There is a slight tapping at the door as Sebastian brings the boy his afternoon tea.

"My lord."

"Enter."

Sebastian steps inside the dark room, easily maneuvering over to the dark wood desk in the corner; it's face covered in decorative cracks filled in with shiny black paint that never seems to dry completely. He sets the blood red teacup onto the face of the desk, pouring the non-existent tea into the cup. 

"Today we have a camomile tea with a hint of honey and lemon."

"Very well."

Ciel sips from the cup, a light smirk dancing across both of the creatures faces. 

"Sebastian." 

Ciel sets the cup down, looking off into the dusky sky outside his window. 

"Yes, my lord?"

"I need to ask you about something."

Hits tone now serious, his expression becomes stoic one. 

"What is is, young master?"

"I seem to have to hide my human emotions quite often... too often, for my liking. I want to know why it is that even without a soul, or a mundane body, why do I still feel?"

"Well, my lord... you are a half-blood, so I suppose you'd be more vulnerable to emotions than a full-blooded creature might be. I, myself even feel emotion, as you know. You're still getting used to becoming a demon, Ciel... you mustn't worry over slight things such as this. You may be more susceptible to such things p, yet I would not worry myself over this."

Ciel's smirk returns. 

So he has been putting on a show, to a certain extent... only for him to realize his bottled up emotions results in an explosion and escape of the said feelings. Ciel Phantomhive, in fact, did not feel that much more than a demon like Sebastian. He felt more, of course; his vulnerability of his human origins somewhat leaving him open to such things... but it was only a fraction... yet just a little push is all that's needed to isolate ones differences. 

"I see." 

Ciel understands, turning away in his chair, and blankly walking out onto the balcony of his new manor; surveying the dark grass swaying slightly. 

"It's getting dark. Time to prepare my bath, Sebastian!"

He turns suddenly, his head held high as he motions for his servant to attend to his nightly duties. 

Sebastian's lips turn up into a slight grin. 

"Yes, my lord."

He bows.


	6. Chapter 6

So they days go on, and time wavers with the moonlight shining in through the window of the mansion. 'Hell" is simply a place to Ciel, now... before, he'd thought there's be the screams and cries of broken souls; much like his own. He now knows that 'hell' s simply just another realm, full of imaginary cherry blossoms floating on the winds of a never changing tide.

Ciel realizes he feels guilty for causing Sebastian to stay with him... and because of this fact, Ciel turns away from the comforting words of is butler whilst the tears of loneliness stray from is eyes. Ciel feels nothing so deeply, he feels everything at once. He laughs his bitter laugh before Sebastian 's confused gaze,and simply turns away.

Ciel teaches himself how to not feel anything, once more. He ignores the empty feeling gathering in his stomach, and pushes his loved one away... bit by bit, until it is like it was before; strange, and surreal.

'Your tea, young master."

Ciel takes the tea silently, his gaze never once colliding with the servant's. Sebastian has sadly gotten used to the demeaning attitude the former Earl faces; his words unspoken, and his questions unanswered.

"You may go."

The boy says after noting the way in which the butler seems to linger a moment longer than anticipated. After a slight pause, and a hesitation of feet, the butler leaves him be.

Ciel's brain tells him to spill the words he used to utter behind closed doors... to never simply sweep them under the rug as he would do so again. His brain now screams for him to whisper those words he treasured more than the contract it's self... his mind betrays him as he mouths the words:

'I love you.'

And Sebastian cannot hear him as he leaves the empty room; for his back is turned unto the Earl, and as his feet disappear behind the crack in the door, Ciel's head is rested upon the thick black wood of the desk as a tiny tear soaks into the paint.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And just like that, reassurance returns.

"Sebastian," 

the young boy asks on a dark and quiet evening,

"do you know what Elezabeth's last words to me were?"

Ciel hadn't spoken much to his servant as of late, and the sudden prompt for a conversation came with intrigue and surprise.

"No... may I ask what they were, my lord?"

"She said to me, 'Ciel... I am not the bubbly, enthusiastic and happy girl I pretend to be. I am much like you, and I see clearly what is happening to you, and I must warn; revenge... is like drinking poison, and expecting it to hurt someone else.' And then she said, 'I hate to watch you drinking poison.' And simply walked away."

Ciel says with his eyes glazed in memory... speaking slowly with his quaint figure standing grandly by the opened window. Sebastian's dark smirk emanates from behind the boy.

"Ah yes... but if you'd never tasted such a poison, my lord, you may not be alive. Ironic, isn't it?"

The former Earl ignores the sly quip, jumping in, his voice quivering with the emotion finally boiling over.

"But if I hadn't tasted the poison, you wouldn't be stuck with me now!"

His small frame quivers, his head hanging in an embarrassed scowl. The boy's gaze then falls to the starless sky, tears gathering like fallen petals on his eyelashes. Regret has spoken it' desperate growl, pushing its' way out through the depths of Ciel's heart and onto his tongue. Guilt, as it often does, accompanies the sad feeling that piles in the pit of his stomach, knotting and twisting in his gut.

"I'm sorry, Sebastian. I should've trusted you... I shouldn't have doubted your loyalty like that. Then, maybe, you would've gotten your meal... maybe you wouldn't be stuck here, with me... waiting on my every wish."

The boy's voice is as soft as a beckoning tide as he speaks to Sebastian, his words melting in the air along with his cold breath mingling amongst the sound.

"No, my lord. I strongly believe that all that happened, did so for a reason. You would not be alive if you had never called for me, Ciel."

It's a rare occasion as of late, in which Sebastian addresses the Phantomhive by his first name, and Ciel's head rises as the word is uttered.

"Sebastian, I know you cannot lie to me, so I ask... in all honesty... do you really, truly, care for me?"

Ciel had taken the clue.

"Yes, my lord."

Ciel spins where he stands, his body now facing the butler.

"You know I do too, Sebastian."

A light blush dances along his now-damp cheeks, staining them a rosy pink.

Sebastian steps closer as their previous boldality replaces the fragile awareness that came beforehand, a lustful mist floating in the air. 

"Come with me."

They walk past the crumbling piano... past the gold trimming and the dark embellishments adorning the manor, and they find themselves in the old and dusty room once more. The old records that accompany the old and decaying books greet them back as they force their way through the door.

Ciel calmly falls back onto the bed, sitting with his feet dangling lazily off the side of the mattress. Sebastian bows his head leaning in for a kiss. As soon as their lips meet, Ciel's heart swells as before, welcoming the old numbness back. He kisses back with vigor, his mouth moving in time with Sebastian's as his arms find his strong upper-body.

"I love you."

And just like that, reassurance returns.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks...

Start flashback}

"It's time to wake up, young master.

Ciel's blackened nails peak above the surface of the sheets as he wakes easily, opening his eyes and reaching for the eyepatch on the night-stand. Sebastian's nimble fingers cover the empty teapot with the china lid, and as he begins to dress the Earl in black, his expression is one of anger and sadness.

Sebastian ties Ciel's tie, his fingers lingering along the edge of the ribbon.

"Would you prefer to make it even tighter?"

Sebastian's pause is relevant as he stares at the boy's socked feet.

"No."

Sebastian begins to prepare the non-existent tea.

"I've prepared your tea, master. This morning we have Moon Drop."

Sebastian hands the empty teacup to the Phantomhive.

"What's my schedule for today?"

"It's open."

Ciel smells the soul-less tea, it's aroma imaginary and dark.

"Smells quite nice."

And then he sips from the cup as Sebastian buttons up his shoes.

A knock sounds on the wooden door.

"Come in."

Mei Rin cracks open the door and tentatively steps inside.

"Eh, pardon, master... it's lady Elizabeth. She's here, sir."

Ciel pushes past the maid, all empathy and awareness shattered like broken glass as he eerily walks past the treasured rings of his past.

"Excuse me."

"And as for today's schedule..."

his dark eyes sweep the room towards Sebastian as he steps through the doorway.

"I'll decide it."

{Pause flashback}

Ciel's dainty hands skillfully sweep across the blackened roses of his garden. Sebastian's anger he had displayed was not, in fact, directed towards the young demon, but instead towards the unjust way the conflict with the Trancy estate had been dissipated. 

Ciel had mistook the concern and sadness that resounded in his butler's eyes as resentment, and the explanation of the misunderstanding came in a wordless quip of the tongue... with comforting whispers and affectionate gestures.

Ciel stares blankly at the roses of his garden as he stands; walking up the steps of his hellish manor.

{Resume flashback}

"Ciel!"

The wind is nearly knocked out of the boy by the unwanted hug, Elizabeth's arms wrapping firmly around him.

"I can't breathe."

Comes the ironic statement as she unhands him.

"I've missed you so! You shouldn't deprive a lady like that!"

She gasps.

"And just look at that horrid outfit! It's not cute at all! Plain black like that doesn't suit you one bit!"

"Oh... perhaps not."

Ciel smirks.

"Maybe I'll change, then. I have before."

Lizzie's confused gaze scans the boy.

"I don't understand what you mean... what is it, Ciel?" I'm confused."

"Would you give me the pleasure of a dance?"

He asks as he extends his arm towards the girl as tears begin forming in her eyes. They begin to dance as the music starts. Lizzie's eyes focus in on Ciel's ringless fingers.

"Say, Ciel, where's your ring?"

It's just for a moment, but Ciel allows the shining redness of his one unclothed eye to flash through as they spin. The periodical tune of the music becomes off-key and Lizzie's already flustered expression reddens. 

"This music sounds strange."

"The gramophone must be broken."

"Oh."

"Whatever's the matter?"

{Pause flashback}

That had been when Elizabeth had stopped dancing and spoken her last words to Ciel before he left her... along with everyone else. The problem had been, that by the time she's spoken her notice of the truth, it'd been too late, for Ciel had already been poisoned by fate.

Ciel's memories are temporarily broken by Sebastian's inquisitive gaze landing on him from across the room where he stands. Ciel's face somber, he allows Sebastian to saunter across the intricate carpeting to him, resting a gloved hand across his jaw.

"What's the matter, young master?"

"Nothing. Nothing at all."

Sebastian's gaze lingers for longer.

{Resume flashback}

Ciel stands beside the carriage as Sebastian returns from his 'errand'.

"What took you so long, Sebastian?"

There is no explanation as he voices. 

"I apologize. We can leave now."

Finny seems utterly horrified at the truth of Ciel's departure.

"Young master? It's true? You're really leaving us?"

Ciel steps inside the carriage as his cruel words echo around the setting sun.

"Do whatever you want with the mansion. Youre free to stay here if you want."

A slight breeze rustles his hair as he gazes for a melancholic moment at the mansion standing tall before his look of resting anger falls to his face once more.

"Or just burn it... I don't care."

And he steps inside.

"We could never do that!"

"Why not?"

"Because this place is filled with memories!"

"Memories don't mean anything, in the end... they have proved as much already."

'That's not true, master!"

Yet the three are destined to watch as no other words are spoken, and the carriage slips out of view behind the hills.

{Pause flashback}

"I don't believe that for a second."

Says Sebastian, his gaze lingering on Ciel's for a long moment after.

"There's no use in thinking about it now."

Ciel says. Both are aware of the unspoken confession as Sebastian nods, respecting Ciel's wish, and walks away.

{Resume flashback}

"Indeed you are alive... not as a human,"

Ciel's eye flashes a swimming crimson as he embraces his new fate.

"but as a demon."

{Pause flashback}

Ciel recalls the note in which he gave to his friends and family when he faked his own death. there hadn't been an explanation, for all the simple note said was

'In memory of  
Ciel Phantomhive  
who died at Aug. 26th, 1889  
AGED 13 YEARS.'

{Resume flashback}

The white and blue roses float around the pair in a mass of magic as Sebastian holds the boy dear in his arms.

"Where shall we go now?"

The servant asks.

"Do you know, I don't much care... after all, you and I already know where we are ultimately going to end up."

Theres a sad pause in his tone.

"I was always going there... as a dead human..."

Sebastian continues to walk further towards the edge of the cliff where they stand.

"or as a live demon."

Ciel's gaze turns towards the butler as he speaks the words.

"It feels good somehow... as if I'm being released from a spell I was under for a long time."

"Yes, and I can attest to that."

Ciel's grip tightens on Sebastian's shoulder as he feels a surge of wanting for the other demon.

"I have been put under an eternal spell."

"You are my butler, Sebastian."

"I am simply one hell of a butler... for eternity."

"And as before there is one one answer that you will give me. You know it, don't you?"

They share a meaningful gaze that consists of all the words that have never, and will never be spoken between them. they share a gaze that says much more than the written word can convey. It speaks of floating flower petals, of fire, of rain... and the situation that they may never change.

Ciel's arms wrap around Sebastian as their gaze separates for a moment and the blue and white petals float around them in a song as sebastian leaps off of the cliff with the boy still in his arms.

"Yes, my lord."

{End flashback}


	9. Chapter 9

Nothing is wrong, yet anyone would know that there is something perpetually askew about everything. Ciel feels he's been met with a fate that leaves him in the same situation as always; for he always feels more... knows more... and does more than everyone around him.

So when Sebastian's softened gaze meets his in the doorway, he doesn't pretend. He doesn't pretend that there is an absence of the icy tears flowing down his cheeks. He doesn't pretend that nothing has happened, and he doesn't pretend to hide the pain behind his eyes. 

"Sebastian-"

"I know, my lord. It's quite alright."

His servant's comforting arms lift him effortlessly. 

"I need you."

Whispers the boy, holding on to him tightly. 

"I need you... I really need you."

And his voice is softer than the blackened leaves that fall past the broken window as he is carried to his room. The hallway is a dark sort of undesirable mystery; its lighting low and threatening. But when they reach the bedroom, the cold darkness is replaced with a warm, softer one. 

"Sebastian, I'm tired. Please prepare my bath."

The former Phantomhive's voice trembles as a blush graces his cheeks. 

"Of course, my lord."

On this occasion, the butler's touch is soft... gentle, and loving as he undresses the boy slowly. Ciel's hands move with Sebastian's as a longing for the comforting caress takes him. Ciel's eyes still waver, and he still trembles in Sebastian's arms as their eyes meet gracefully. Then, the boy's eyes close as his small fingers grip Sebastian's thin wrists. And the empty statement comes again.

"I need you."

His voice now comes below a whisper, for he cannot see Sebastian lean forward to place his lips upon the boy's. His eyes open swiftly, only to flutter closed as he leans closer. Ciel relaxes as Sebastian pushes him down onto the soft mattress of his bed, lovingly wrapping his arms around him. Their lips move with one another as if cut from the same stone; molding together like the steady ticking of the clock overhead. 

Ciel's graceful fingers dance along the butler's collar as he pulls him down closer, entwining their tongues like they have countless times before. 

"S-Sebastian..."

Whispers the boy as he pulls away briefly for air, shivering as Sebastian's long fingers trace down his delicate sides. 

Sebastian nuzzles into the boy's neck, lightly planting a kiss upon the sensitive skin, causing Ciel's eyes to flutter closed once more. A quiet whimper escapes the former Earl's lips as he grips his shoulders tightly, leaning his head back into the soft blankets.

"You need me?"

Sebastian's husky voice echoes around the disembodied presence of a question. The boy nods, running his fingers through the black strands of the butler's hair. Not another word is uttered, for Ciel's questions will most surely go unanswered. Ciel himself knows not why the sudden sentimentality has arisen... but perhaps the ever waging battle of humanity against the presence of demonic afflictions as clashed like the ever changing tide.

Ciel needs Sebastian as a child needs his mother's side... as the moon needs the stars... as the seasons need winter, and as heaven needs hell... even if he'd rather not be subjected to choose. Though he's always been sure he'd been destined here from the start. 

"I need you."


	10. Chapter 10

The old library is dusty... old and decaying in its pitiful way. The young demon sifts through the ancient volumes stacked high in neat rows on crumbling shelves; his delicate fingers grazing across the decaying leather and paper. They present themselves as nothing new; the usual 'Mother Goose' and 'The Brother's Grimm' pushing their haunting titles through in their gold leafing and torn pages.

The bookshelves' top shelves near the high ceiling, the gnarled wood stretching upwards in a cascade of the beckoning books. Ciel's footsteps echo around the thickened walls of the library, the sound giving volume to the deafening silence. 

A glimmer catches in the boy's eye, pulling his gaze backwards. A thick, black leather book with gold trimming surrounding a radiant magenta gem stands out among the boring others. The sparkling gemstone almost glows in the bright candlelight, almost calling to Ciel as his hands reach towards it almost on their own accord. 

His fingers dance along the gold leafing adorning the jewel before he pulls the heavy tome from the shelf. The volume falls from it's resting place and into Ciel's arms as if he were meant to pluck it from the shelf as one would pluck a flower from a grassy meadow; quick and precise.

He turns the weighty pages over in his hands, tracing the intricate cover. His fingers grace along the letters that read

'The Definitive Guide to Understanding Half Bloods'.

The boy's eyes widen as he frantically opens the cover, gasping as the yellowing pages are revealed. The very first page is ripped and decaying at the edges, just like the rest of them. The top right corner looks as if it was scorched centuries ago by some ancient candle, the edge browned and deformed.

The image sketched upon the paper is one of a diagram, a sort of concept sketch, if you will. It depicts a humanoid figure, standing upright and shown at every angle, bare and naked with various labels and notes scrawled across the different places. The creature's eyes are demon-like, much like Ciel's own. The aged and colorless sketch seems to be that of a young adult, the proportions fully-grown, yet young in stature.

The labels he inspects are seemingly written in another tongue, their letters swooping in strange lines and curves, accompanied by the occasional sharp angle or edge. Ciel remembers his studies of ancient agriculture as a mortal, and recognizes them as Latin, though he cannot decipher the strange and ominous alphabet.

Ciel stares at the oxidized ink on the page, before turning it to reveal that both of the pages spread out before him are covered in the dead language, the handwriting neat yet not understandable. He turns another page, his hope for an answers dissipating as fast as he begins to flip the pages. The occasional sketch appears upon the rapidly turning pages; a diagram or herbs and directions leading to make a type of potion or tonic, a timeline that starts in the 1200's and stops in the 1650's, and picture after picture depiction the different types of half bloods and how they came to be... where they originated from.

He sifts through to the back of the book, the handwriting becoming more frantic as he nears the end of the volume, as if the author was trying to explain something in which he had not the time for... and when he finally flips the last page, several folded pieces of parchment fall to the floors. They're old and falling apart, stained with time, and aged to the point of corruption. Ciel lowers himself to the floor, setting the heavy book beside him as he picks up the first curiosity. He unfolds the parchment on tthe floor, smoothing the material out carefully. The ink is faded... smeared in some placces, spreading out across the sheet in what looks like a map. 

Ciel squints his eyes to gaze at the image carefully, and again the varying labels and notes are indecipherable, written in the weird and haunting language. The boy sighs in frustration as he rubs his temples, staring intently at the map, willing the mysterious translations to reveal themselves. 

The map seems to depict another world... a world unknown to the boy's studies and lessons he endured as a human. The green ink is faded to a very ugly shade of beige, barely any color left in the pigment. It shows a vast expanse of land, divided in several parts, and labeled in a beautiful script.

Ciel does not understand the significance of all of this as he opens map after map, all depicting different little islands or pieces of land. The floor is a mess around him, the various maps spread out unceremoniously in a heap of the yellowed parchment. The boy sighs heavily, hanging his head in his hands. His gaze drifts back towards the maps.

And he finally puts two in two together. On the outer boundaries of each little island type mass, the faintest lines appear in his vision. Faded and decaying letters and script are also scattered along outside of the large greenish masses in the center of each map, the seemingly random patterns of placement puzzling.

That's it; he realizes. The whole thing is a puzzle, each little area marking a different territory of hell. The barely visible markings, words, and phrases are there to signify where to apply the next piece in the puzzle... where one boundary ends and another begins. It's a hidden message within its-self, but the meaning evades Ciel, as he cannot understand the foreign language he holds in his possession.

"Sebastian, I need you. Come here."

He speaks, not too loud.

"Yes, my lord?"

Ciel sees his butler eyeing the strange scene before him, and it must be quite a weird sight to behold; the proud and honorable Ciel sitting on the floor, with a mass of strange depictions surrounding him... the large and odd-looking tome sitting next to him.

"You can read and write Latin, can you not?"

He asks, his strong gaze never wavering from the pieces in front of him.

"I can."

Ciel's gaze now flits upwards towards Sebastian.

"Good. I need you to help me with something."


	11. Chapter 11

Ciel's footsteps echo around the winding staircase leading up to his study the immense book on half-bloods held under one arm in a protective grasp, the maps held in his hand. As he reaches the top of the stairs, he turns the knob of the old door that creaks ominously as it is opened. As Ciel steps inside, he is greeted by Sebastian, whom bows at his entrance.

"You tidied up, as i asked?"

'Yes, my lord."

"Good."

Ciel sets the objects he carries down on the table before sitting.

"You say it is all in Latin, my lord?"

"Indeed. Except for the cover. I found that fact quite odd, actually."

"English was beginning to take root around the time this book was made. It's not a rare occurrence for the era."

Ciel leans forward as Sebastian explains, inspecting his butler laying the maps out on the desk. Sebastian smirks as a realization crosses his face.

"It's an outdated map of hell, my lord. The different pieces represent the different formalities and clans us demons sued to confide to. Each territory marked a different species."

"Read them to me."

"This one is the area i used to reside in; the 'animalis ced' or 'animal shifters'. There were twenty four different types of demons when these maps were made, but these are over 1,000 years old... much older than the book."

"How many are there now, then?"

"There are twelve now, master. The 'floris' or 'flower demons', the 'juven' or 'young' demons, the 'caninam' or 'cannibal' demons, eight different types of animal shifters, and finally, the 'hemi hæma' or 'half bloods'."

Sebastian replies, stacking twelve of the maps on the desk.

"Of course, the rules regarding territory were discarded three hundred or so years in the past, so these maps are highly useless other than to tell us the names for the missing species."

"Well why are they missing? Why are there only twelve now?"

Ciel's tone is indiscernibly concerned as he seems to be caught up in the disturbing matter.

"The territories got demolished one by one, and they all mysteriously disappeared."

"What do you mean, Sebastian? You're not making much sense here."

"I apologize, but I do not know. They just simply vanished, sir."

"I'm going to figure all of this out: why the maps were stuck inside the book, what happened to the extinct species, and what the hell us half-bloods really are and what we had to do with it."

Ciel looks determined, his eye and icy blue that almost freezes the time in front of him, as if he is trying to preserve the decaying parchment in front of him.

"Ironic, isn't it, Ciel?"

"What?"

"You escaped your arduous detective work as a human, yet you insist to go on to do it again as an immortal creature."

Ciel is sure that Sebastian's stare can cut diamonds as an indescribable emotion plays upon his face.

"Start translating the book."

Yet he verbally dismisses the haunting stare.

And he stares back with an equal intensity, changing the subject with his words, but not with his mouth. 

He sounds like he is saying,

'Perhaps I am too scared to sacrifice the mundane qualities I have sook refuge in.'

Sebastian's reply aires as,

"Yes, my lord."

As he takes the book into his grasp, but he could as well be airing a warning though the dusky light shining in through the window,

'Be careful what you wish for.'

Or perhaps,

'Some things are meant to stay buried within the earth.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok i think ive figured out where im going with this and im really exited for it now. not sure if i should insert and evil cackle or send a virtual hug so i guess ill do both. 
> 
> now watch as everyone stops reading this omg no come back i swear im not that awkward in real life-
> 
> XDDD anywhore prepare for the feels!!!!! but this time i have a happy ending planned unlike ALL of my other fics dear god *faceplam*
> 
> ok ill stop rambling now... i just feel like i dont talk to you guys enough idk <333


	12. Chapter 12

If one were to ask Ciel Phantomhive about his contentment, he would reply simply, that from the smell of blood red roses in the courtyard, and the black marble statues in the garden, to the glowing gems that peek from the corners on an unseen eye, that there is nothing he may do to change the fact that he is fein, and may not think to further opinion his thoughts regarding these facts... no matter how much he may will to do so.

Ciel's over-morrow is uncertain without Sebastian, and he values his knowledge as a patient values his doctor's diagnosis. So Ciel sits in his study , trying to make sense of the maps before him as he pieces them together. Sebastian is seated beside him, translating the valuable book in his hands. He reads a passage from the tome, his mouth moving in words Ciel doesn't understand, then he writes what he has read on piece of crispy white paper with a black quill, graciously dipping the end into the ink.

Ciel stops his musings over the maps to watch him dip the pen again. It it like watching a swan dip under the waves of a blackened lake, with only its' black feathers poking through the muddy surface. Ciel feels like that bird, as if he is repeating an action that seems to be burned within him, only to find out later that it is all for naught.

Perhaps Sebastian was right when he said that Ciel's life is the greatest irony of all... a sad story burned into the wood of a fallen tree with its' roots still clinging to the loose earth. He is like that tree, and not the swan. He is not graceful in his manner, yet sad and deadened, his roots still clinging onto something that once was there.

Sebastian takes note in the sad stare the boy shows as he watches the ink dance along the page in an icy flow of black, and stops to look at the small one.

"I think you will find the information this book provides quite useful and interesting, my lord."

Ciel nods, turning away once more.

Ciel's eyes travel lazily over the maps, but his gaze drifts off the edge of the parchment, and onto the black surface of the desk. The lines within the wood were once within the trunk of a great tree, he is sure. The cold and dead surface once brought life into one's lungs as they inhaled the fresh pine scent... until it fell. But Ciel forges such a tale that should not be validated until the dead seagull cries over the waves that once crashed greatly into foamy green rocks.

There is an ocean here, in the place they reside. It is mostly dark, stormy waves giving way to poisoned fish and shells of immaculate size, with cracked surfaces. One can only imagine the creatures that once resided in those hollowed out shelters. The sand of the beaches are of a splotchy, irregular texture... the smooth areas almost wavering to the side of quicksand.

Ciel wants to visit those beaches.

"Sebastian, I think I might go out into the garden for a bit... it seems that my time is wasted just sitting here."

"Very well, my lord. By the way, I think it may be time to show you the lands outside of the mansion. It seems you've been quite restless lately, and I suppose it would help in your studies."

Ciel pauses at the doorway, looking down at the eerie steps outside. He nods.

"Alright, then."

Perhaps he will show him that beach... with the imagery of sea monsters that lurk in the shadows of your basement, etched into the sand.

"Ciel."

The boy turns to face the man.

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry."

"Sebastian, what do you mean?"

The boy steps closer, eyeing the older demon strangely. Sebastian has never been known to apologize for anything out of the blue. Usually, certain happenings would be smarter to stay hidden. Sebastian stands up, his usually proper attitude now replaced with an air of uncertainty.

"I mean I seem to have been causing you distress, Ciel. I mean I'm sorry that you have to live here, like this. I cannot help but to blame myself for the befallen fate... much like your previous resentment towards yourself."

"Sebastian... I don't know what you're talking about."

He steps closer.

"There is no place that I'd rather be but here, with you."

Sebastian nods.

"I apologize for my improper outburst."

Ciel is flooded with an emotion he has not felt since his own family was condemned to the fire that split his life apart. He feels as though there is a fire growing inside of him, now... threatening to burst its' way out into his throat in a sob, or a yell... even a scream.

"Stop that, Sebastian!"

He finally bursts with that feeling, his eyes wide in a crazed kind of anger... but it is not an anger directed at the man before him, but an anger that dwells within him always, an anger that has hidden in the nooks and crannies of his mind.

"All of this! It just feels... wrong, somehow! If you cannot bear the courage to relax within my presence, or simply state your emotion without feeling guilty, wrong, or that you're doing something wrong, then I don't know how I can ever feel at home here!"

His breathing comes in short, his lungs feeling as though they may burst.

"The contract-"

"To hell with the contract!"

It is an ironic statement, one that accompanies as sad realization that this may never change for eternity. Ciel looks at the ground, realizing that what he has just said is an understatement to his frustration with not being able to just feel Sebastian as he is.

"Contract or no contract... I love you, Sebastian."

He then turns without another word, exiting into the dark stairwell. He cannot hear Sebastian's answer, for the door has slammed shut behind him. It seems like there could be eyes in the crack in the door... as if the distant howl of wind and rain will open the door again to reveal nothing in its' wake; a hurricane of thoughts and provisions.

His footsteps rush down and away from that door as he leaves, leaving the unfinished and reprimanding situations behind him.


	13. Chapter 13

Ciel sits in his room, seated on the window-cil. The pounding rain shatters against the glass, reflecting the resentful tears that stream down the child's pale face. He sings softly to himself.

'Child of mine  
rest in my arms  
'till the dawn   
wakes the shadows  
that play on the lawn

Close your eyes  
and say goodnight  
sleep 'fore the morn  
don't dream of the darkness  
don't dream of the storm.'

It is a hymn his Mother used to sing. It is a remnant of a dream of when he once held sunlight in his arms; a wistful smile upon his gleaming face. The tune is sad now, an old, worn-out melody... a song that the old birds used to sing in the meadow in which now holds the fallen petals of dead flowers.

The rain drips down the window in a cascade of beautiful sorrow, a melancholic moment passing as he wipes his own tears. Ciel is caught in a fleeting fantasy. He wants to be outside that window, with the falling raindrops. He wants to soak up all of their sadness so that he, too can feel the way the sky feels when the grey clouds cover its' sun.

'With a wish upon your shoulder  
with my loving embrace  
my gentle caress  
sleep befalls ye young lad of mine  
let your tired young kind fall into rest.'

The boy rests his head onto the window pane. And he sobs finally, letting go of the last word he sings. All he wants in this moment is for Sebastian to see him as he his... for himself to see Sebastian the way Sebastian is.

He does not hear the door open as Sebastian steps inside, gliding over to meet the half-blood, who's face is clouded with the storm clouds of misery. He hears Ciel's sobbing as he reaches out to the boy, gently placing a hand upon the boy.

"You have a lovely voice, Ciel."

The boy does not start as he hears his name being softly uttered, keeping his eyes cast out into the rain that is not pooling in the courtyard, creating eerie reflections of the sky's sunset.

"Listen."

Ciel nods his head, curling up further into himself.

"I am deeply sorry. This is more complicated than anything. I acknowledge that. I've been bending the rules for you since the start. You are my longest contract yet, and now will be my only for eternity. Ciel, you must know that I truly love you as well, and that I would never intentionally hurt you."

Ciel's sobs stop as he speaks, turning his head to look at him.

"Sebastian... you're acting strange."

He whimpers.

"No, Ciel. I am simply dropping the butler act. Nothing would happen if I stopped doing so, especially when your will to see me as I am is so strong."

Ciel grips his lover's shoulder tightly.

"What do you mean, Sebastian? How did you know exactly what I meant?"

"If you truly wish, I will treat you truly as my equal."

"Sebastian... do you really mean that?"

He whispers, his voice shaking slightly as his lip trembles slightly, as if the wracking wind outside is shaking his very being.

"I do."

"Then, please... don't lie to me when you say you love me just because I want you to."

He whispers, wrapping himself into the arms of the man, burying his face into his shoulder.

"I love you, Sebastian."

Sebastian pulls away from Ciel, holding his delicate face in his hands. Ciel grips onto his wrists, looking into his crimson eyes with his own, his watery eyes reflecting exactly what he feels inside; the lake of emotion and anticipation threatening to boil over. Sebastian would no longer act in the way that made Ciel feel so cold.

"I love you. And I mean that as deeply as the moon and starts kiss the sky at night."

He leans up and presses his lips onto Ciel's as the boy wraps his arms around his neck tighter than the binding that holds the material world together. Ciel feels as if his stomach holds an entire field of butterflies within it's walls as he kisses him deeper, letting Sebastian gather Ciel into his arms... the former earl's legs wrapping around his waist.

He feels the soft firmness of his bed on his back, and lets himself fall onto the blood red satin. His bicolored eyes flutter through a misty haze, focusing on the one now kneeling above him. 

"Sebastian."

"Yes?"

"Mean it when you kiss me, as before."

And he does.


	14. Chapter 14

The storm lasts for nearly a week, throwing the mansion into a battle to remain scratch-less and clean. After the waging war stops ominously in it's tracks, it leaves an eerie silence behind it.   
"I do not wish to see another storm after all of this."  
Sebastian's dress becomes less stiff, allowing himself to dawn comfortable attire. Ciel gains a slightly more independent air about him, and as the days pass on, discoveries are made and hypothesis are created.   
They find, that the profanity of the behavioral patterns regarding half-bloods, is quite unnerving. There is no regularity or patterns to follow as there are an immense number of stages and breeds of half-bloods alone. There are those who would be bitten by the now-extinct vampiric demons, those who are born to parents spawning of both human and demon bloods, those who are children of any other breed or types, and the rare few who are contracted, and through an uncommon string of events, become a fein.   
"Well, what does it say?"  
Ciel asks one evening, as they pour their usual attention onto the maps, books, and notes scrawled across the texture of the wood. Ciel's bicolored eyes scan the neat lettering of the dominant demon's notes as Sebastian himself gazes profoundly upon the parchment.   
"Whoever wrote this book acknowledged the disappearances of the races."  
"How so?"  
"It seems like they were trying to attain knowledge on why exactly they disappeared. It says here: 'No extensive information has been disclosed regarding the vanishments of the extinct species, but as far as what's been gathered so far, I presume that-' and it ends there. It looks like someone spilled something on the pages, and the ink has been washed away."  
He frowns as Ciel leans closer, inspecting the old, stained paper. The entire bottom-left corners of the next three pages is completely soiled beyond recognition or repair; the first flaw in the entire series of pages and leather. The imperfection, however, is around the halfway mark of the tome, where the heavy thread binding it together pokes through the layers.   
"Well, what must we do, Sebastian? We can't just not know what it says."  
"I'm sorry, Ciel... but there's nothing that can be done, other than the art of assumption."  
His lips turn upwards into a dark smirk, the corners of his mouth curling in a menacing wave, as if he knows of something no one else has, and will ever, know.   
The book offers no unusual information, yet the the feeling of missing something important never leaves Ciel's mind. Then, the snow starts, asphyxiating each foreign forest's painful, pounding rain. The blanket of white stretches out as far as one could see out of the window, the falling snowflakes looking like delicate flower petals as they spiraled down to the sparkling earth.  
Ciel had always hated snow, and as Sebastian has said before, it is a rare occurrence in the depths of hell, even during the miserable winter.  
"You made rain and snow fall in hell, Ciel... I knew your soul was a precious one."  
Sebastian says, staring out of the tall windows guarding the hall.   
"You know, for the first time since I have known you, I don't really mind much at all."  
He whispers, bringing his cold, pale fingers up to rest upon the glass... then to Sebastian's own hand, entwining them shortly before pulling away.  
The underworld is silent, as though the oncoming ice and snow has left the whole plain paralyzed in a ludicrous dance... as if a haze has been lifted, yet been replaced with another, colder one.  
"This snow could last for weeks, even months, Ciel... but it is imperative that we venture out, no matter my hesitancy."  
Ciel takes a moment, looking out across the extensive canvas of white before him, and dreaming of the mysterious ocean he knows full well is there, perhaps frozen in it's own wake.  
"I don't much care for the cold, Sebastian. I feel as though it sucks the air out of my lungs."  
He looks down at the carpeting now, inspecting the achromatic hues it provides.  
"I know."  
Sebastian leans down a bit, cupping the boy's face in his beautiful hands.  
"But this time, I'll be right here, with you."  
Ciel looks up into crimson eyes, taking in the beauty of each sparkle, hue, and depth in the other demon's eyes.  
"Okay."


	15. Chapter 15

The snowflakes sting the boy's cold, watering eyes. His footsteps are heavy, as if he is trying to crush and suppress a great burden with his shoes. But the two demons carry on, their breath visible through the the red-tinted skies, the steam swirling away in delicate bursts of frost. It is as if the icy air is exhaling an impossible wrath upon his sensitive skin.   
Ciel's recent past has been introverted, as he has been stuck in the manor for quite some time. His gaze is one full of awe as he takes note in the striking green and brown hues that peek through the blinding white, much like the red undertones his own mansion takes hold of. It is like he has been introduced to a whole new world... one that he fears he has forgotten and fabricated in his own mind's eye. His eyes graze over Sebastian's dark demeanor, glaring at the contrast of black against white.   
Ciel is not cold deep in the snow, for the first time in his life. His cheeks do not burn an icy pink, his lungs do not gasp for the air they once refused, and he feels quite comfortable in the cool air. His shoulders stay motionless, now... no longer shaking in the still air.   
They travel through the nearby forest, the fallen leaves crunching underfoot in a frozen attempt to stay alive. It is eerily silent besides their heavy footsteps, the majestic trees stretching high into the pale, gray skies above them. The scenery is in a monochromatic haze of white; the fallen snow seemingly whispering a haunting tune.   
"Sebastian."  
Ciel says, breaking the deadly silence.   
"What would you have done... if Claude had never taken me?"  
Sebastian stops his walking, his eyes shifting up to the greyscale of a sky. He pauses there for a long minute, his face still and his expression flawless. Ciel had stopped walking, turning back to take a long look at the man.   
"I would much like to say that I wouldn't have consumed your soul... but I am afraid I would have. Whether or not I would have regretted that decision, I cannot say... but I imagine that somewhere along the lines. I would've looked back and realized what I had done."  
Ciel feels a twinge of hurt, but it melts int he moment he realizes that he is the one whom asked the ridiculous question. Ciel ponders why such a question arose in him, yet his gaze stays heavy at his feet as his mind stays as blank as the snow in front of him.   
"Oh."  
"Ciel, please don't-"  
He stops, sighing. They both know that what they have has come about for a reason, and that the rarity of their bond is a special one that came to be almost on it's own accord. Ciel's heart still beats in his chest; rising and falling.  
"I know, Sebastian."  
Ciel walks up to him, running his fingers along his jawline. No words are spoken, as they are un-needed. Ciel leans up, wrapping his arms around Sebastian's neck and entangling his fingers in his dark ebony hair.  
"I am not cold, now that I am with you."  
Slowly, his lips connect with Sebastian's. Taking a deep breath, he revels in the feeling of Sebastian's arms snaking around his waist protectively, holding him close in the thin air. He tilts his head further, allowing Sebastian to slip his tongue inside his mouth. Ciel caresses the man's hair, his fingers fisting in the locks of black. Sebastian pulls him closer, his arms tightening against Ciel's waist.  
He pulls his head away slowly, ghosting his hot breath against Ciel's cool neck. He lightly licks the sensitive skin, sending a shiver through the boy.   
"Ah-"  
"You never wanted this, did you?"  
Sebastian whispers into his ear and Ciel whimpers out another moan in response, caught up in the feeling of being so close to the one he desires most.   
"You never wanted to be a demon?"  
Ciel, eyes still closed, shakes his head, resting it against the stronger man's chest.  
"But I love you."  
He sighs.   
"And I would've gone through hell just to be with you."  
They venture further through the thickening mist of snow and ice, waiting for the bite of wind to prove too much... knowing that it never would. They walked wordlessly through the hidden meadows and fallen trees, passing an invisible bed of moss.   
"You are quite special, Ciel."  
"Hmm... and why is that?"  
"Never in my life have I met such a creature as you. Never have I been so utterly perplexed regarding someone's actions; they way they move and speak. Never have I been changed so much in such a little time."  
"Neither have I."  
He whispers, then becomes quiet, his mind drifting off to the infamous maps and papers that lay still on his whimsical desk of rhymes and darkness.   
"Sebastian, I want to know more about the disappearances of the other demons. I have a very strange feeling about that."  
"Well, my love... I don't know much other than that around the same time, heaven's angels grew in unimaginable numbers. None are quite sure if the angels themselves disposed of the demons, as they may well have, but all are sure of the fact that angels do not simply pop up out of nowhere."  
"Perhaps they, themselves turned into angels?"  
Sebastian smirks, his brow arching in an attractive fashion. Ciel's blush is noticeable as his sheepishness surfaces.   
"That, would not be possible."


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so sorry for not posting in such a long time!!! <33333 dont hate me!!! ;-;

The fire that night is warm, searing it's imprinted light onto Ciel's cold eyes. He sits with Sebastian, his head resting sweetly in his lap. The carpeted floors offer a safe haven of warmth and comfort from the ice and snow now raging outside the foggy windows. 

"Sebastian?"

Ciel asks, his fingers lazily reaching up to trace the line of the man's face gingerly... watching as the flames dance within his ebony eyes.

"Hmm?"

Sebastian''s glassy gaze drifts down to the male in his lap, surveying the child's soft features and doe-like eyes. He can almost see the world in those eyes, for just in the short time the boy had lived on earth, he'd seen fires destroy families, vermin worse than rats scavenging on the streets for some form of love and abuse... often ravaging the bodies of others just to get their fill.

"What was your life like, before me?"

Ciel's glowing eyes look up to the man in the look of wonder and curiosity that only he can display.

"It wasn't pleasant, I can assure you that."

Ciel stays quiet for a long moment, his gaze focusing somewhere in to a different time. Sebastian had never said anything about his past before. He'd never thought Sebastian to even have a past... until he'd realized that his butler was more than just a demon void of emotion.

"You can tell me more, you know?"

He looks back to him, his gaze soft and inviting... a smile hinting at the corners of him mouth.

"Yes."

Is the reply.

"I can."

Ciel waits for his response, eager to drink up his words so he may delve deeper into his extraordinary character.

"Where would you like me to start, my love?"

Ciel shrugs his shoulders slightly, entwining his fingers in the hair of the male above him.

"I suppose you can start with your contract before me, then."

"Ah, I see."

Sebastian seems to look off into an imaginary distance... one full of the darkness now swimming in his eyes, and pooling like the blood in the streets he must be seeing now.

"It ended in a haste, but the woman's soul was not ready to be taken, I should say."

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Let me start from the beginning. Her name was Abigail Johnson. She was a pretty lady, I suppose... but her soul was dark and troubled. She was secretively psychotic, in her own twisted way. She was insane, and knew exactly what she was doing when she summoned me. She was odd, regarding most humans, whom instantly cower at the sight of my true form."

For a moment, his eyes flash a sneaky red, before quickly shifting back to a dark obsidian.

"She asked from me one thing: to destroy England."

Ciel smirks at this, though anyone would be able to sense his dark curiosity and slight amusement, or even disturbance in is demeanor.

"What did you do, then?"

"I did what she asked... as best I could, before things got out of hand. And they did get out of hand quickly. I started out by going to Melan Oceanus. You see, about a hundred years or so ago, there was a certain virus that was spreading around the beaches in hell. And although demons were immune to the disease, it was quite fatal to humans. The bug was being transmitted by various animals who, at the time, would drink from that sea. So I took the biggest rat I could find in the sand, and planted it in London's sewers. This created the epidemic humans call, 'the black death'."

Ciel's bicolored orbs widen at the statement, wavering in their sockets.

"You... started... the plague?"

"I did."

Ciel' expression then changes as his lips turn upwards in to a dark kind of chuckle, his eyes swimming with his still undying hatred for the human race.

"How foolish of her... what happened next, then? Did she order you to stop it, too?

"Well, the plague spread across England quickly enough, and soon it spread to other countries, as well. But there was one problem. Humans started changing and evolving, setting up the building blocks for an immunity to the disease. Abigail was not pleased with this fact, and ordered me to kill them, myself. I slaughtered most that had been evolving in England, but before I could get too far, Abigail fell ill.

He continues looking into the burning fire, as if he had made all of the evils in the world double in that moment, and Ciel notices a glint of regret in those eyes that makes him snuggle closer to his mate.

"Ah, what a ravishing story to tell; a woman killed by the very disease she sold her soul to create!"

A hint of a smile plays at his lips before he looks down to the boy in his lap.

"A bit dark, don't you think, Sebastian?"

"Indeed."

"But I suppose it's not all bad. Darkness ins needed, otherwise there wouldn't be lightness. And visa versa, of course."

Sebastian nods fondly, running his hand along the child's chin and lips.

"Please continue, Sebastian."

"As she fell ill, she soon began to die. There was nothing I could do, then, but to consume her soul before it completely disappeared. It was bitter, full of regret... she was nothing like you."

There is a pause, then

"But the rest is simply history."

He chuckles nonchalantly at that, closing his eyes for a brief moment.

"Did you love her?"

Sebastian looks away from Ciel and back to dying fire at the question, his expression unreadable.

"No, I did not."

Ciel leans up to cup than man's face in his pale hand, turning it to face him once more.

"Do you love me?"

Ciel then asks, their eyes locking. In Ciel's eyes, Sebastian can see the boy's past laid out before his eyes. The boy would never admit to being defined by time gone by, but Sebastian can see through the mask that though he is in the body of a child, his mind is aged beyond his years.

Ciel however, can not simply gaze into Sebastian's eyes and access a past that has been hidden for as long has Ciel has known. There are walls built up in those eyes... walls that were forged centuries ago by some ancient curse.

"Yes, I do."

He leans down to plant a small kiss on his forehead.

"Sebastian... how do you know so much about the depth of souls?"

"It is the instinct of a demon. I suppose you will discover that soon. Demons can go a millennium without a single could to consume, but there are still places from one can harvest cheap souls for sustenance."

Ciel nods, closing his eyes as Sebastian looks at the embers of the fire. It had died down, though warmth never left the pair.

"Will I ever have to eat a soul, Sebastian?"

"I suppose you will... one day."


	17. Chapter 17

The roses are dying along the path as they walk, the smell of flowers invades their senses, though the blackened petals are falling from their stems now. And everything is being slowly buried by the resting snow.

"Sebastian, do you think that I could be worthy enough to go to heaven?"

"Whatever do you mean by that?"

"I mean do you think that, if perhaps I was an angel, I could be worthy enough to go to heaven instead of hell?"

"Before I answer honestly, why are you thinking of such things?"

"I was thinking about what you told me... about that woman, Abigail. And I've been pondering the thought that we were both just a choice away from never meeting one another. I could have died in that cage alone, and nobody would've rescued me. Do you think then, if nobody had come, I'd have gone to heaven?"

Sebastian stops walking to stare at the cloudy sky, his eyes reflecting the white and grey hues that swirl in mystical patterns upon his face.

"Yes, I think you would've. If your soul was worthy of being taken, don't you think it is worthy of pleasure as much as pain?"

Ciel nods. 

"I suppose that makes sense."

His fate has been forged, and set in iron bars. His childhood is over now... there are no more mother goose rhymes when one is a creature of hell. And though this thought rings as true as a church bell, Sebastian makes his days seem as though they are in heaven.

"I think you would be, too."

Ciel turns to look at him.

"Oh no,"

Sebastian replies,

"I would never be worthy of such glory."

Ciel had never heard the man speak of himself in this way before; his tone demeaning and disgusted.

"Well why not, then?"

"A very long time ago I did something that I will always regret."

Ciel gazes up at the man curiously, his deep blue eye sparkling alongside the glowing violet of it's counterpart.

"Whatever do you mean?"

Sebastian sighs deeply, his chest feeling as though it is constricting to the point of asphyxiation.

"I once made a contract with a little girl named Julianna Brown. She was a sweet little thing... always full of energy. She called on me after she was being teased by playmates... really a foolish thing to trade your soul for; but who am I to argue? A hungry demon in the eighteenth century. You see, she called on me by accident, poor thing was so sensitive."

Sebastian's face grew saddened... an expression Ciel had never seen him display in such depth before.

"But before her, the caliber of souls I consumed was full of the scum of the earth; no one had even come close to the kindness and love she displayed. At the time, I was disgusted by it."

He looks down at his feet, running a hand through his disheveled hair.

"Her wish was to change the hearts of her bullies for the better, which was a complicated task for me. Yet I still followed through, nonetheless. So when I had changed shape enough times, and was sure the children understood, I was famished."

He pinches the bridge of his nose, as though he is trying to rid a headache that has been there for centuries.

"The last thing that child ever did, was to thank me. She was so polite, though I could hear her little heart pounding. Then she leaned up to plant her little lips upon my cheek. But it was too late."

He shakes his head then, his face contorting into an expression of pain, sadness and guilt that alarms Ciel in it's rarity. Ciel is taken aback by the disturbance, but his instinctual care leads him to wrap his arms around Sebastian, pulling him close as Sebastian embraces him in return.

The warmth of Sebastian's body lulls Ciel into relaxation, his energy one of charity and understanding. Sebastian's breath is shallow, as though he is trying to hold back the strength of an army that has awoken in his chest.

"I can still feel her inside of me."

Sebastian whispers, burying his face in Ciel's cerulean locks. 

"It's okay... you can talk to me."

Ciel coaxes back, his soft words floating their way into Sebastian's eardrum, causing his muscles to relax under Ciel's warm touch.

"She feels..."

He starts, taking a deep and shuddering breath.

"light. But she makes me feel heavy... like there's a rock in my chest."

His voice becomes weakened with emotion as his breath tickles Ciel's hair, sending it swirling around in whisks of grey and blue

"Don't be afraid. Tell me how you feel."

Ciel's voice is as comforting as anything, his vocal chords matching the tone of the wind in the trees.

"I feel... sad. And guilty. I feel regret and pain. I feel incompetent and naive. I feel that even though it's been two hundred years, there is still something missing from the world."

Sebastian's deep red eyes are closed as he speaks, his voice churning in Ciel's head as though he's never heard speech before.

"Though there is always something missing. The world is a terrible place, Ciel. In the end I was the barrier that prevented Julianna from reaching heaven, and I suppose that I have always been damned to do so; to forever search for something that can fill my hunger... dragging innocent beings down with me."

Ciel pulls away slightly, cupping Sebastian's cold face in his hands. Their eyes entangle in a mess of emotions, clashing like the waves of the infamous sea.

"I'm sorry. As much as I have tried to save the ones I have learned love, I've dragged you down with me, too"

Sebastian's tone is filled with sorrow, his deep voice echoing along the walls of the past, bouncing back to shatter into him in an icy crash of words.

"No, no. Please don't say that. Please."

Ciel says, bringing his head closer to Sebastian's.

"Please."

Sebastian nods, resting his forehead to Ciel's. Sebastian inhales deeply, the smell of Ciel calming his quivering nerves. He smells of honey and pine trees... hints of old fabric and flowers... he smells something a lot like spring

"Pain changes people's minds... but we all have our stories we don't usually tell."

"Pain has never changed my mind about you."

Sebastian smiles sadly, gripping the boy's small waist.

"Thank you, Ciel."


	18. Chapter 18

"Ciel."

"Yes?"

"Come here."

The sounds of soft and gentle rain are swallowed by Sebastian's voice. Ciel stands from his comfortable sitting position by the cozy fire warming his bones, walking over to where Sebastian is seated at the shimmering black desk. The cool wood welcomes his hands as he leans over the frame, resting his palms on the slick surface.

"Look at this."

Sebastian whispers, pointing to an area on the map he surveys. There is a small black mass where his ungloved finger lies. Ciel's curious eyes swoop over the territory, his right hand reaching over to stroke the cool parchment. Sebastian's concerned gaze scampers up to the boy's charisma, his bicolored eyes drowning in thought.

"What is it?"

He asked, his voiced hushed with interest. Sebastian points at the worn-off writing that peaks it's way through the yellowed paper, it's formalities taunting in their mystery. His finger grazes the rough weathering, carefully inspecting it once more.

"I don't know."

He replies,

"I can't read it."

Sebastian sighs, letting his head hang in his lovely interlaced fingers.

The small dark mass depicted swirls in a flurry of ink, as though it's not a landmark itself, but a warning sign... or perhaps a signal marking a jackpot. The lines seem to be scrawled together in a hurry, the shapes telling a story of their own. It seems to Ciel, that once the two discover something important, all evidence eludes the two.

"Well... what do you suggest we do about it, then?"

"I'm not much sure. I suppose we should investigate."

He looks up, then; his smirk invitingly suggestive. Ciel blushes lightly. Though he knows what his butler is speaking of, his subtext rings as loud as a church bell. 

"I suppose we should, then."

He replies absentmindedly,

"Tomorrow?"

"Oh no, Ciel. Why waste our time whilst it isn't snowing? We should take advantage of the current situation."

His smirk remains as Ciel strides over to him tentatively, straddling his hips as he wraps his arms around Sebastian's cool neck. He leans down slightly, his rosy lips almost pressed against Sebastian's ear.

"I suppose you're right... though it's still awfully cold... and I happen to be rather warm where I am."

"Is that so?"

Ciel nods, nuzzling his nose into Sebastian's neck gently, making him shiver. Sebastian's hands glide up to the former Earl's waist, his arms wrapping around the slender figure. Ciel mews slightly, pressing his rosy cheeks to the other male's collarbone. Sebastian chuckles darkly, his voice sounding like honey to the younger demon. Their skin is white on white as Sebastian's hands slide gracefully under the hem of Ciel's shirt, squeezing his soft flesh in his palms.

The soft rain pelting against the windows grows stronger as Ciel's fragile lips press against Sebastian's skin, his mouth cool and wet against his warming temperature. Ciel's mouth works its way up to his mouth as he kisses him fiercely. Their mouths moving together as perfectly as the night itself; casting beautiful shadows upon the unpleasant truth. 

Ciel lets out a slight moan, his fingers entangling in the raven's black hair. Sebastian pulls him close. Ciel's chest is pressed flushed against Sebastian's, his shaking breath felt upon Sebastian's own lungs.

Thunder strikes the mansion, shaking the windows in a breath of exhaustion. Ciel's starts, pulling his mouth away from Sebastian's. He whimpers slightly, gripping onto the back of Sebastian's shirt. He trembles slightly, his eyes shut tight.

"it's alright, Ciel. It's only thunder."

"I-I'm sorry."

He rests his forehead against Sebastian's.

"Don't be."

Ciel nods, turning his attention back to the map on the desk before them. The lustful haze lingers still, yet the fog as been shocked by the electricity of fear and realization.

"I suppose we really should investigate this tomorrow, though."

He says, his blush intensifying. The matter in fact, is quite troubling... especially for such an ancient mind as Sebastian's, who has seen entire forests and cities destroyed in mere seconds.

"I suppose."

His gaze continues to entertain the boy, his fingers dancing up along his spine to rest upon his cheek lovingly.

"You are right."


	19. Chapter 19

The snow bursts around them in beautiful flurries of light. The air is peaceful, and the aura of the world seems quiet, as if mourning the leaves that fell long ago.

"You know where we're going, yes?"

"Of course. I used to visit this spot often."

One can only imagine what the area will hold, now... as they continue walking along the whitening ground.

"I see."

As they step through the balcony of skeletal trees, the dead wooded forest seems to still breathe a life that should've laid dormant centuries ago. The blackened wood twists up in gnarled knots and cadences... giving the impression of death and decay. Yet they walk through the ominous forest of fallen trees and broken branches, their minds still thinking of what may lay ahead in the path.

The forest grows darker as they walk, the wood seemingly closing in on their bodies, encasing them in suffocating darkness. There are bones of deer and elk on the ground, half buried among the dead moths and butterflies, with their wings eaten off by the beetles who still mingle. 

Ciel draws closer to Sebastian, looking upwards through the ever-thickening canopy of leafless branches and fog. The path grows narrower as it continues... though looking back, it seems the same through and through. Ciel grabs Sebastian's arm, looking back frequently as he stumbles along.

"S-Seba- ah!"

He exclaims, tripping on an overgrown branch.

"Watch your step. And keep an eye out... we don't know who or what could be lurking in the shadows."

The boy nods slightly, watching as the sharp and angular branches close in behind them, blocking them from going back.

"I-is that-"

"Yes. It's fine. We'll still be able to leave."

Sebastian takes a step forward, muttering the words he hopes will not be heard,

"I hope."

They continue to walk through the dark, their eyes adjusting to the thick atmosphere. The path widens once more, leading out to a snowless circle surrounded by moss and greenery, the ground stained black with nothing growing inside. There are thorny branches rising up around the area, doming at the top to form a roof.

"Where are we?"

Ciel whispers, his breath shaking slightly. Sebastian continues to walk towards the circle as the boy follows, almost tripping again to catch up. Sebastian's aura grows darker, his fists clenching tightly; knuckles white.

He doesn't respond right away, opting to stop at the edge of the soil, breathing in in a deep sigh.

"This is where I- we all... used to go to..."

He breathes in again, his breath shaking slightly.

"to feast."

He finishes, his voice sounding deep and animalistic; full of an anger Ciel does not understand. Ciel wants to reach out to Sebastian... to grab his coat and turn him around, but he cannot help but admit that he is afraid of the elder demon.

Through he reaches out still, his small hand fisting in the black fabric.

"S-Sebastian..."

He says,

"are you-"

"I'm fine."

Sebastian replies, his voice firm yet gentle.

Ciel retracts his hand as Sebastian turns, his smirk faltering. 

Sebastian nods, motioning for Ciel to follow him. He walks to the outside of the circle, being careful to only step on the edges of the earth. Ciel looks down at his feet, noticing the soil's red tint. The smell of iron hits him, the faint odor of death and decay lingering. His stomach churns and his head spins as he stops in his tracks.

The ground is soaked with blood. Human blood.

Ciel gasps, stumbling backwards to the edges, the soft vines and moss padding the impact.

"Ciel-"

Sebastian swiftly tends to him, kneeling down beside the frightened child.

"What's wrong?"

Ciel points into the circle, shielding his eyes from the disturbing scene. For a moment, the child feels regret and remorse wash over him, panic flooding his bones and filling his eyes with tears if the past. 

This is where he would have ended up if it weren't for that spider. This is where his lover would've devoured his soul without a second glance. This is where Sebastian's hunger would've been satisfied.

"Th-this is where you- I was go- why? Why would you-"

His panic stricken mind runs rampant, imagining his fellow humans being tortured to death by retched, ugly creatures with whips, hanging men with thorns and snakes.

"Shhh! Ciel, please stop and liste-"

"No!"

Ciel covers his mouth with his shaking hand, the fingers of his other gripping Sebastian desperately.

The tears start to flow as the horrid scenes flash in a slideshow of horror before him, baring their fangs. His mother and father- killed by and angel of death... their souls perishing in the same, disgusting way. He never would have imagined the terrible truth, yet it hits him hard, shaking his body in a relentless sob.

His parents were killed by demons, and he is sure of this fact... yet whether or not Sebastian had anything to do with it doesn't matter in the moment.

"M-Mother! Father! Please!"

His incoherent gasping results in the child calling out for the ones in which he has mourned for years. The sadness and nostalgia grips his chest tightly, seemingly laughing at the pathetic fit of reverence.

"Ciel!"

"No! No no no no!"

He attempts to fight Sebastian's embrace off, yet he fails and is encased within a hug.

"Shh... little Ciel"

And Sebastian begins to sing,

"Child of mine  
rest in my arms  
'till the dawn  
wakes the shadows  
that play on the lawn  
Close your eyes  
and say goodnight  
sleep 'fore the morn  
don't dream of the darkness  
don't dream of the storm.

With a wish upon your shoulder  
with my loving embrace  
my gentle caress  
sleep befalls young lad of mine  
let your tired young mind fall into rest."

As his voice resonates softly, Ciel's breath begins to slow... his trembling ceasing and his sobs quieting.

"Shh... there we are."

Ciel lifts his face from Sebastian's chest, his eyes puffed and swollen.

"I-I'm sorry."

He whimpers, his cheeks flushing.

"It's quite alright... if you'd just let me explain a few things."

Ciel nods.

"Your parents-"

He sighs deeply, closing his eyes briefly.

"I did not do your parents in, Ciel. I did not have any part in their murders, nor did I manipulate the situation to achieve your soul. I was not present at their deaths, and I never intended harm onto you... ever. You see, this is where demons come to... dine... on their... prey."

He is cautious with his words, his mannerisms carefully precise. Ceil's fearful eyes look deeply into his, searching for something unknown.

"I love you, Ciel. I would never attempt to hurt you in any way."

Sebastian's eyes are pleading with Ciel to understand, his voice on the verge of begging through the words which emote ferocity.

"I was a different demon, then. I knew your value only as sustenance."

Ciel's eyes begin to shed their tears quicker, his mouth opening in protest before he is hushed by Sebastian's continuing words.

"Remember, though the dynamics between us have shifted, our contract remains. You may perceive my explanation as brutal, but I shall still never lie to you. Yes, I intended to consume your soul. Yes, I lusted after you on an animalistic drive. Yes, I love you, and I do believe I always have. Ciel, you know me more than anyone else does, so please believe me when i say that we have both changed... for the better."

CIel's eyes calm, and his eyes fill with understanding. He knows the painful truth of their beginning, yet he is equally aware of the present berth. No words could possibly articulate what his mind is spinning, so he simply nods as he embraces Sebastian tightly.

"I love you, too."


	20. Chapter 20

"Ciel... I despise being here just as much as you... do believe me."

Ciel nods as he stands, his hands still clutching the elder demon's overcoat.

"I hadn't a contract for a hundred years before you called on me. I would never have reciprocated another deal at all, Ciel. And I know that our meeting was not chance. It was not coincidence, and it was ill-intended or unproductive. I fell in love with you for a reason, and I'd at least want you to know that much."

Ciel nods, his eyes, though traumatized, still laced with love and compassion.

"I know."

Sebastian leads him back along the edge of the bloodied ground, both being careful not to disturb or attain to the reality. Their heads held low, they walk on to the opposite side of the circle, stepping through a dark entryway hidden upon first glance.

"This is one of many dining halls, all spread out among the different districts. This is the only one I've ever set foot in, yet something tells me that seeing all of them as a whole is key to this mystery."

"Wouldn't it be dangerous to step foot in another's district?"

"It would... unless you have the right disguise."

They follow the wooded hall down to a bigger, spherical room surrounded by more vines, the branches keeping the structure whole leafy and green. The aura of this room is less terrifying and more mysterious, regal in it's stature.

"What is this?"

"This is where the council of elders used to meet... before the rogues took it over. They destroyed everything... made it far more accessible. It was completely ransacked before they decided it wasn't good enough and abandoned the whole place."

"So why does it seem fine, now? And why is blood still so fresh out there?"

"It's not fine. The energy may seem restored, but that is simply nature's way. It used to be adorned with furniture made of the finest oak, with candles dripping wax handing from the ceiling and walls."

It looks as though Sebastian himself can see the wood... imagining how the undisturbed flames danced along the walls.

"The entryway used to be like the first, and only a select few could enter. There's a gang of cannibals who still visit on occasion, but the seem to have left his room be, though they destroyed the initial spell for nothing."

"Sebastian, if only a select few could enter, how do you possibly know what it looked like?"

Sebastian's eyes flicker as he stills, his breath crystallizing the air in front of him.

"My father."

His voice seems to drop out of his throat, falling to the frozen ground and cracking the very heart of the earth.

"My father was the chief elder."

The word 'was' resonates around the small encased room, bouncing back and sending a chill up Ciel's spine.

"You know,"

Sebastian turns to face him, his attempts at stabilizing his voice failing.

"Us demons have a bad reputation in the human world. Everyone on this earth, whether mortal, angel, demon, or fairy are just trying to make our way out. We're all just trying to get by. Though some of us lust for blood, there's always the ones who are just trying our damnedest to survive! The whole point of the council was never to force the idea that all we are is animals who take innocent lives! My father... he wanted to destroy that idea. He wanted to loose all thoughts of negativity."

His head drops low as his gaze falls to the ground.

"He was only trying to make my life better... make all our lives better. And I let him down, Ciel. I let my father down."

His eyes looked pained as they shimmer, glowing with anger and sadness.

"I broke under pressure and helped them destroy everything. I don't know why I did it. I was angry. Though my father was a great man, he was resilient and stubborn and didn't make much room for my rising hunger. He was inexperienced. If I had known that he would've been killed I suppose I would have been more understanding. And knowing that that would have been the only exception still kills me."

"Sebastian... I'm so sorry."

"But do you see? That was why I did what I did. I hated myself, and finally seeing someone as perfect as you experience the same thing as I was... was heartbreaking and confusing."

Ciel's eyes sparkle with tears. The way that Sebastian emotes him emotion wrenches his heart out of his chest. He'd never seen Sebastian in this way, and the new-found knowledge churns around in Ciel's mind until all the pieces slowly fall into place.

"Oh my god-"

Ciel whispers, quickly embracing Sebastian.

"We don't have to figure this out. If researching all of this brings up painful memories, I'd rather be blissfully ignorant than to ever hurt you."

"No. Ciel this is important. This is what my father would have wanted. In his time, the disappearances were prominent everywhere."

He inhales deeply, the contact between them speaking more words than either one can say. Ciel thanks Sebastian with a short kiss... a melody both sweet and soft, whispered right before the music stops.

"Thank you, Sebastian."

Sebastian doesn't seem to hear Ciel's voice as he pulls away suddenly, his eyes wide with an unknown realization.

"Ciel."

"What?"

The boy is taken aback, his wrists now clutched in the demon's hands.

"My father was a half-blood."


	21. Chapter 21

The chilly wind encases the mansion that night, seeming to suck the life force out of anything not inside. The two demons sit mercilessly by the raging fire, though midnight had struck the clock hours ago. Old government files lay askew on the carpeted floor, various governmental notes and documents scrawled around like a crime scene.

"See, he started an entire uprising. He was utterly devoted to the task of bettering our society. People didn't want him altering the indecency, for the criminals at the time faired much better than any relatively 'decent' demon. I suppose I fell prey to my own hunt. Back then, if you wanted to survive, it was either kill of be killed."

"Well... what kind of uprising was it? It seems like he succeeded mildly."

"He was trying to convince us all that we were all equally worthy of heaven. I suppose that is why I never did deem myself worthy in the first place... I stopped the entire movement in it's tracks. Trust me, I never intended for him to be killed. I just got beaten at my own game."

"Sebastian why in hell did you ever keep this information from me before? If I'd have known what was going on in your mind I wouldn't have been such a burden to you."

"Ciel... you are anything but a burden."

Sebastian's hand touches the other's gently, his eyes sincere... burning to kill this ancient belief the boy has. Though his years of suffering and torment has lead them both to believe in his profanity, the facts lay at bay; much like a spider curled up and dying on the cold tile flooring. They are both like spiders, caught in their own web of confusion and dignity... searching for a way out of this hell, though ironic enough. 

"Okay."

Their eyes tay connected as Ciel utters this, nodding his head slightly.

"Where do we go from here?"

"I personally recommend that we visit all headquarters... decide for ourselves what really happened in each district. Though there are only five councils in all of hell, who's to say that at least one didn't survive? Finding some real evidence could prove insightful regarding the subject."

"I agree."

Ciel sighs, looking down at the map before them.

"Do you know where to start?"

"I do know where all five of them are. If my father was good at anything, it was organization. He deemed it true to be that if all districts had a council of their own, things would be far too hard to keep up with. The one we visited earlier was the head of all districts, though since its been destroyed, there's no saying what be holds the other four. The last ones left to check now are the juven, the floris, the caninam, and the hemi hæma. The caninam are the most dangerous of the four, and not many know much of the hemi hæma. 

I suppose it would be wise to go in order."

"So we should find out where all of them are and map our route out precisely?"

"Yes."

Sebastian takes their black quill in hand, his eyes focusing carefully and closely at the parchment. His eyes flit around the page until they focus in on an area. His lips turned up in a smirk of satisfaction, he slowly encircles an area of defiant land with the black ink swimming with the sparkles of mischief.

The circled area depicts a vast area void of landmarks, the barren lands stretching out like a dessert.

"This is where the juven reside."

"But there's nothing there."

A strand of hair falls array in Sebastian's face, his eyes glimmering like the drying ink on the paper.

"It's underground."

He sets the quill back gently yet firmly, as though he is pressing his hand into the atmosphere.

"The gang of demons I was briefly committed to visited there often. We were like the juven's caretakers... you could say, raising them in pure demonic hatred and evil. it was quite ridiculous, actually. These people are dangerous. It would be wise to be aware when we do arrive."

"Like that makes it all the better... humans are stupid creatures. We do not have to abide by their their rules to govern the way we act just because I am familiar with it. Don't you think it would fare better for us if we entered as one of them."

"That is just the plan I have in mind."

Though Ciel's materialistic shape may be still of a child's, he is anything but young. His mind has imagined things most adults would commit at the sight of... his eyes have seen things that mere humans would cower immediately at first sighting. His mind is aged far beyond his years, and yet his body betrays him.

"You will enter without incident, as your body is still young. I, on the other hand... will have to take care in my disguise... as I am well-known throughout."

"So how will you do it, then?"

"I will claim to have come back from Earth with a young demon, seeking to fulfill the space where I had left off. I will say that you are a new demon I have collected from the outer-world, and that I have brought you in hopes that you will become my apprentice. You will 'train' by my hand, and when the time has come, and trust has been bestowed to us, we will move on to the next location. 

Securing a spot with these guardians ensures that we will be safe to travel wherever we shall please... but I must warn you, Ciel... that it will not be easy, it will not be fun, and we cannot back down. There will be obscenities that we have all tried to rid from memory. It will be much worse than the simple sacrificial grounds you encountered before. But you must understand that it will not be pleasant for either one of us. Do you think you can handle this?"

Ciel's soul and mind have been seasoned with pain and suffering, optimizing his tolerance for torture like the venom of a deadly snake; stealing away the sanity in one's eyes in a swift, jagged punch. Ciel's stubborn oblivion is upheld only with the upmost certainty... though his heart may beat fast in his chest, and his breath may become short, he still keeps his eye on the prize.

"Yes."

Is his vacant reply, his mind bending to imagine the open-mouthed snake readying it's strike.

"I can handle it."


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter... part of it will be in latin. Translation and A/N at the end of chap

"Move along, rat!"

Sebastian's voice is authoritative, his shove rough against Ciel's back.

"S-Sorry!"

The underground entryway passes by them is a flurry of torches hung on the wall, their shadows stretching along the walls to form eerie shapes and imaginary creatures. The night as red as blood disappears behind the two as the large stone slides back into place over the entrance, closing with a thud and a cloud of dust and decay.

"Keep it up, I'll get us somewhere to stay soon. Do what I say, and just don't break character... no matter what."

Sebastian whispers, his breath ghosting along Ciel's pale ear and neck. Ciel nods, his eyes cast downwards as Sebastian barks at him again.

"Walk faster!"

The lit hallway stretches on, until the two reach the dark ending. A large wooden door stands tall and black, it's dark stain haunting and unnerving. The doorknob is that of a golden shine, rubies and crystals adorning the edges to form what could only be perceived as a pentacle. Higher up and centered upon the door, there seems to be yet another little door, it's gold hinges small and sparkling in the firelight.

Sebastian opens this little entryway, revealing a small looking glass with a slit cut through underneath. Sebastian looks through the glass, his eyes set and dangerous. A clattering sound can be heard through the thick wood, then a booming voice.

"Salve."

The voice speaks in a language Ciel does not understand, yet Sebastian smirks at the hello, and does so reply in the foreign tongue.

"Salve, Taurus."

"Qui est illud?"

"Corvus."

The voice behind the wood laughs a grant laugh before speaking again.

"Hospitium, amica! Quid sunt tibi?"

"Valemus. Il habere aliquis."

Sebastian chuckles darkly before saying,

"Itabeas corpus. From juven."

The voice on the other side is silent, if only for a moment, before speaking again.

"Hospitium, Corvus."

The door opens wide, and darkness floods in through the doorway. Ciel gasps, at the sure amusement of the other demons, as Sebastian leads him inside.

"Seba-"

"Shhh, Ciel."

Their eyes meet for a reassuring moment s a tall dark figure turns to lead them through another dim hall. The figure seems to be the speaker of the deep voice, for he speaks again, his voice seeming as though it could melt mountains and burn cities. 

"Qui est Ciel?"

Ciel recognizes his name, looking up and knowing that the large figure can hear all.

"Autem juven. Ciel est eius nomen."

Is Sebastian's reply. 

The large demon is quieted as the dark hallway ends, giving way to a turn in the path, light flooding through the corner in waves of buttery candlelight. They are led around the corner, and a lighted hall with doors blanketing each wall is revealed, another tall, dark door at the end. Muffled screams of agony can be heard coming from the cracks under some of the darkened doors, while soft moans can also be heard leaking through the stone walls and dark wooden doors.

The large figure walking ahead is revealed to be humanoid in the light, his skin pale and shabby hair black. He wears not a shirt, but has inexplicable tattoos running up the length of his right arm to his back and shoulders. His black slacks move freely with him, his dark brown horns jutting raggedly from his skull. When he turns briefly to look back at them, his face is not frightening, but rather human... yet the look on his face is enough to tell anyone that he is not mortal.

Ciel moves closer to Sebastian, biting back a whimper of fear. His hands are still bound tightly, and Sebastian cannot reach out to comfort the child as they near the end of the hallway.

"Fortunatus es."

The demon speaks again,

"Hoc enim est novissimum."

"Gratias ago tibi."

The horned man pulls open a door at the end, revealing a small room with a fireplace and a single bed. The rock walls are adorned with many oil lamps, the bright light casting eerie shadows upon the virgin hearth. The small room is warm as they step inside, and the granite flooring does not seem to radiate winter as it would have in Ciel's own estate.

"Quina nunc vale."

Says the horned demon, and Sebastian's grip on Ciel tightens ever so slightly as he replies,

"Vale, Taurus."

The wooden door shuts as the bull walks away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Translation notes:
> 
> Here is the translation of the entire conversation between Sebastian (Corvus) and Taurus-
> 
> Taurus: Hello.
> 
> Sebastian: Hello, Taurus.
> 
> Taurus: Who is it?
> 
> Sebastian: Corvus. (Meaning 'crow'... that was Sebastian's 'real' name as a demon, seeing as Ciel named him Sebastian.)
> 
> Taurus: *laughs* Welcome, friend! How are you?
> 
> Sebastian: We are fine. I have brought someone. *chuckles darkly* A body for trial. A juven.
> 
> Taurus: *pause* Welcome, Corvus.
> 
> Ciel: Seba-
> 
> Sebastian: Shhh, Ciel.
> 
> Taurus: Who is Ciel?
> 
> Sebastian: The juven. Ciel is his name.
> 
> Taurus: You are lucky. This is the last one. (Referring to room.)
> 
> Sebastian: Thank you.
> 
> Taurus: Goodbye for now.
> 
> Sebastian: Goodbye, Taurus.
> 
> \----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> A/N: 
> 
> Okay, so I never put author's notes, only because I feel it interrupts the flow of the story, but it's important you all know that a lot of the conversations will be held in latin for a while. I will put the translation notes in the end of the chapter, like I did here, but eventually I am just going to write all of the conversations in English, once both Ciel and Sebastian can speak latin. And if I ever do use a latin word, I'll make sure that the translation is obvious... latin is pretty self-explanatory anyways, seeing as English is primarily derived from it.
> 
> Thank you all so much for reading! I'll try to make it as least confusing as possible, and I'm planning on having a few chapter with just Ciel and Sebastian, so that a lot can be explained etc... I have the entire story planned out, so bear with me! I'm just trying to make it all come together. <3
> 
> Thanks again,
> 
> Mika


	23. Chapter 23

The air slowly quiets after Taurus takes his leave, the heavy wooden door and rock walls blocking noise from entering or exiting the small chamber. Slowly, Ciel turns so Sebastian, his look of confusion prominent amongst his delicate features. He slowly walks over to Sebastian, his eyes surveying his surroundings as a doe would in the forests. His eyes drift along the two doors on the opposite wall... to the unlit fireplace and the wooden floors that shine with heat. His eyes dance along the oil lamps and perfectly-made bed, and finally land on Sebastian. 

"Sebastian."

He begins to speak, his eyes full of turmoil despite the planning they had done previously. His hands shake slightly like the wavering of autumn leaves... quivering and shuddering before they finally fall to his sides, much as those leaves would dare fall to the ground. 

"What... Sebastian, who is that?"

His voice is not above a whisper, though the stillness in the air should indicate a safety of speech.

"Taurus. He's an old... friend, you could say. I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask me. Come, sit on the bed with me, Ciel."

He nods, walking over to where Sebastian is already seated, and making himself comfortable leaning against the pillows of the headboard.

"Well, what language were you speaking? And are you going to teach me?"

He doesn't whisper now, taking the hint from Sebastian's full-volumed voice that now fills the air.

"We were speaking latin, my love. I can teach you, yes.... but you do already know.

"How on earth would I know?"

Sebastian chuckles. 

"Well... you see, since you are now a demon as well, you already have the synapses in your brain wired to understand it. It's just that because of your human blood, I'm afraid that human nature and logic are blocking that from happening. I had to learn English when I began to form contracts, as latin is what those of the supernatural realm primarily speak. I guess you could say that is why it is the 'dead' language."

"So... if your father was a half blood... how did he learn?"

In their previous studies, it has been found that Sebastian's father, Dux, had been the result of a human and a demon cross-breeding from a contract Dux's mother had made with a human.

"Sadly, Ciel... I do not know. I was born long after he had learned, as I was brought up speaking latin. You see... the part of me that is human is too minuscule to count, and since offspring of half-bloods are considered fully demon, I never questioned it."

"Bloody hell."

Mutters Ciel, his mind racing at the thought.

"Sebastian.. can you teach me, anyways?"

"I can. But first, you must learn what will happen now that we are here and have met Taurus."

Ciel nods, his contracted eye covered with his once-dormant eyepatch.

"Taurus has a thick skull. He's not the brightest thing I've ever met, but he can be dangerous. If he finds out anything we are attempting to hide, our blood will be mingling with the fallen leaves. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Good. It is my job to protect you as my 'apprentice'. You must do as I say, or I fear for your safety. I will attempt to avoid much of the training the juven go through, but I cannot guarantee that we can slip through it all unscathed. But you must know that my intentions are never to hurt you, but I am here to act the part on our behalf."

"Okay."

"Ciel."

Sebastian's eyes suddenly stare straight into that swimming blue orb, glowing with an abandoned fire. 

"You will be exposed to my true form."

Ciel looks at Sebastian warily."

"Your true form? It can't be so bad... Taurus doesn't look all that revolting."

Sebastian chuckles, closing his eyes briefly in a flurry of amusement. 

"No.. my love, you do not understand. You have never seen me in my true demonized form. You do not understand how shocked you will be. You may think of me differently... but I do hope you will understand. All you've seen of Taurus is his demon form, granted he isn't that impressive either way, but we are of different breeds. I do not want you to fear me, but it can be potentially dangerous... and given our contract, I can honestly say that I am concerned."

Ciel gives him a soft, warm smile. Ciel's hand reaches up to touch the soft skin of his neck, and as he does so their lips come together in a kiss. It's short and sweet, lasting only for a moment but meaning a lifetime. 

"I could never fear you, Sebastian."

Sebastian's smirk wavers as he brings the boy in for a warm embrace, his arms encircling him lovingly. When CIel nuzzles into the crook of his neck, his face is saddened. His fingers stroke the boy's soft hair, feeling as though they are running through water. He sighs softly. 

"I do hope so... Ciel."


	24. Chapter 24

"So, if I were to say 'hello, friend', in latin it would be 'vale amica'?"

"That is correct... very well done, Ciel."

Ciel smiles slightly, turning back to his developing notes to scrawl a phrase onto the parchment.

"Now I'm going to say something that I haven't yet taught you. Tell me if you understand."

Ciel looks up to the eldest demon, his eyes full of doubt.

"Sebastian I-"

"Amare mea, mea discipule... hospitium ad infernum."

Ciel stares at the man in front of him. The words he uttered had been crystal clear to him. A light blush dusts his cheeks.

"Y-you said... you said 'my love, my apprentice... welcome to hell'."

Sebastian's smirk is full of fire as he nods.

"You see... there is no need to learn that in which you clearly already know. The predisposition is there, no?"

"Y-yes... I suppose you're right, then."

"Now I must encourage you to speak natively whilst we reside here... alright?"

Ciel nods as he speaks, though it is not English in which he utters forth.

"Alright."

His hand comes up to cover his mouth quickly. The latin he speaks comes to him so naturally, now... as though he had been speaking it his whole life. The words float around inside his head, crawling into the crevasses of his mind and resting there. 

"Very good, Ciel. Now it is getting very late, I must urge us both into rest. Though it's unneeded, I have reasons to be concerned about the morrow."

Ciel's ears take in the demonic native tongue easily and he nods, a light bout of worry now coursing through him.

As he lays down in the bed where he sits, his eyes fixate on the shadows the hearth casts upon the floor and walls. It looks like a fein its self, swirling and dancing like a sprite around a campfire; ready to burn the forest down at a moments notice. Ciel thinks, that perhaps he is the one waiting to burn the forest down. Perhaps he is the spiteful little fairy just waiting to destroy. 

Then the light he watches slowly fades as Sebastian cools the torches one by one with his gaze, leaving only one before extinguishing the fire in the hearth as well. A dim light is all there is now, cast only by one small, eternally burning torch. Sebastian's warmth envelops Ciel as he pulls the light quilt over the two, wrapping his arms around Ciel and pulling him close to his chest. 

Ciel lets out a little mew as his lover draws him near, snuggling up the raven haired one. Sebastian runs his fingers along the little doe's torso and hips, his feather light touch sending shivers throughout Ciel. 

"S-Sebastian."

"Hmm?"

"It may sound absolutely mad now, but I'm glad this all happened. I'm glad that I got turned."

Sebastian smirks against the boy's ear. 

"As am I, little one."

Ciel turns to face Sebastian, his face a mere inch away. He can feel Sebastian's breath mingling with his own... he can feel Sebastian's heartbeat beat against his chest, and he can only lean in to press his lips to Sebastian's. 

Ciel's eyes cannot stay open as their mouths begin to move together, their arms coming around each other even tighter than before. Ciel mews again into the kiss, his legs entangling with Sebastian's under the now smothering quilt. Ciel's tongue swipes across Sebastian's lips, yet Sebastian gains entrance into Ciel's mouth first, their tongues dancing in a flurry of heat. 

Ciel pulls away quickly if only to catch his breath, Sebastian's name the only thing lingering on his tongue. 

"Hng, Sebastian-"

But Sebastian silences him, covering Ciel's mouth with his own before shifting his weight and pinning the former Earl to the bed. His searing tongue grazes along the milky flesh of Ciel's neck and ear, lightly nipping at his most sensitive places. Ciel arches slightly into him, both of his hands now bound by the demon. 

Then, it is Sebastian who slowly pulls away, his dark ebony hair fluttering through his breathing and sticking to his forehead. 

"Ciel... you know I meant it when I warned about my true fiendish form, don't you?"

"Yes... o-of course."

Ciel nods, his fragile wrists now being released from Sebastian's dominant grasp. Sebastian sighs, running a hand down Ciel's soft side and hip, gently kneading the flesh above his thigh. 

"Tomorrow Taurus will come and fetch us for the beginning of your 'training'. Now that you understand latin fully, I trust you will be able to act the part?"

His eyes glow with a mysterious haze, the dark and hellish crimson floating around his irises like the fog that he used to see crowd the streets of London. 

"I'm sure. All I must do is act confused and dependent? I just do what you say."

Sebastian nods, propping both of his elbows aside the boy's head so he may lean freely and gaze at him. 

"We will try to be gone by the over-morrow. As long as we can discover what happened here... or at least prove that this district is harmless enough, we will move on to the next."

"Alright then. Let us hope that this is as easy as we imagine."

~.~.~.~.

A/N: just assume whatever dialogue that happens from here on out is in latin... at least when they are speaking to other demons. I don't plan to write much more in actual latin... just to make everything clear. :3


	25. Chapter 25

In the morn, Taurus wordlessly leads the way into a dank, dark room that smelled of rain and mildew. Ciel's nose picks up undertones of blood, though he thinks them to simply be his mind running rampant with the fear he shakes with.

"May I speak with you a moment alone, Corvus?"

Asks Taurus, his horns glowing in the candlelight.

"Of course."

Sebastian leaves with the ugly creature, Ciel left for his eyes to wanter the oddly shaped room. It's a cave, like the rest of them... though this particular room is painted black. The walls, floors, and ceiling shine with a satin obsidian glow, the uneven surface of the structure giving way to a feeling of unease and fright. Stalactites hang from the glossy overhead, casting eerie shadows on to the dusty ground.

Ciel creeps towards the door, and for his blood runs cold as ice at the words that make their way into his sensitive ears.

"Yes... he is a deceivable one. Our contract means nothing, I am still able to-"

Sebastian's voice then quiets, and all Ciel can hear is muffles whispering beyond the heavy oak. For a moment, he fears that Sebastian is not who he says he is... for a moment fear is installed to greatly that his backs meets the cave wall as his legs fail him.

No... Sebastian loves him. Sebastian said this would happen. Sebastian is only following their plan to find out about his father and Ciel's species. Sebastian would never have an altered plan of his own... especially after the way his lips mold with Ciel's so perfectly... so genuinely.

The door swings open once more, and Sebastian shoots Ciel a knowing glance; a glance filled with heaviness.

"Please, come here."

Taurus' deep voice resonates between the two's eyes, slicing the contact in half and making Ciel start.

Ciel stands, his shaking legs betraying the stoic look upon his face. He doesn't want to feel it, but the doubt is there, eating away at the corners of his vision and burning away any need for an act.

He cannot meet Sebastian's gaze again as he is brought over to a mess of chains nailed to the wall... a long shadow from one of the overhanging commodities obscuring its view. Taurus begins to chain him to the wall, and Ciel is nothing short of confused when Sebastian chuckles, Taurus' smile wide and grossly sharp.

"Go ahead. Let it out, Corvus. Show him your true form."

He steps back, leaving Ciel's view clear from obstruction.

"Very well."

Sebastian's smirk remains as Ciel is forced to gaze into those dangerous red eyes. He is pulled forth into is gaze and it seems to utter a warning... seems to be fluttering with what they have dreded.

The room begins to spin as black feathers sprout from nowhere, eating Sebastian alive in a cloud of darkness. The feathers swirl around him as his shadow elongates and withers. The air around his darkness, leaving the room in a state of darkness. Ciel's ears fill with the sounds of wings flapping as the feathers begin to clear by the crown of Sebastian's head.

Long, black, thick and gnarled horns peek through the shadowy mist, curling away from the demon's ears. The rest of the blackened feathers seem to melt away. Sebastian's handsome face hides in in shadow, yet Ciel can see the rest of him clearly.

His elongated and sharply tipped nails are dropped by his leather clad legs, various chains and beads hanging from his hips. His shoes are viciously heeled, and his chest is covered by a worn leather vest, its pocket adorned with a shiny, hellish pocket watch. Ciel stares in wonder at the beautiful thing in front of him, till he gasps as his lover's face is revealed through the shadow he leaves behind stepping closer.

His face is the same... yet the skin by his ears and neck are blackened as if burnt. His knuckles and collarbones model the same dark contouring as the rest of his pale skin. He opens his mouth to run a pointed tongue along two sharp, silver fangs... scaring a pleasured shiver to scurry up Ciel's spine. And as he gets gradually closer... long, feathered wings are revealed; folded and beautifully peeking out from behind his back. Their black feathers seem to glow in the light... much like the rest of him.

And when their eyes meet, there is no mistaking this demon for a man any longer. His pupils thin and stretched from top to bottom are adorned by a fiery orange and gold, thee dark crimson edges burning inside the glowing whites of his eyes. The chains hanging from around his hips and back sway and jingle as he walks towards the boy, his smirk and gaze never fading.

Ciel whimpers in both surprise and excitement as one of Sebastian's sharp fingernails draw a line from behind his ear to his collar, tilting his head further up to look at Sebastian. The demon leans forward so his lips are at Ciel's ear, his hot breath tickling the side of Ciel's ear.

"Are you afraid?"

Ciel shivers yet again, absentmindedly struggling against the chains that hold his wrists tight. 

"No."

Ciel darts out his tongue to lightly lick Sebastian's neck as he pulls away.

"Should I be?"


	26. Chapter 26

"No."

Is Sebastian's reply.

Taurus' footsteps call the two back to reality for a moment, demanding Sebastian's attention.

"Now teach him. Don't hold back."

He chuckles darkly, retreating again to leave the room after wishing Sebastian 'good luck'.

As soon as the door closes, Sebastian scrambles to unchain the prisoned boy.

"I'm so sorry, Ciel. Did he hurt you? Did he lock you in too tight?"

"Not at all. I was actually quite frightened, though. I heard you saying that our contract didn't matter."

Ciel steps forward, still admiring Sebastian's new appearance.

"He had to know we have a contract. It's not too odd, though. A lot of Juven end up making short term contracts with older demons to learn things from them."

"But I don't have a soul to give you."

"You may not have a proper soul... but you do still have a body."

Ciel's cheeks warm slightly, remembering the screams he heard coming from several of the neighboring rooms. Then he realizes what Taurus is expecting of them. 

"Well that could mean a number of things... couldn't it?"

"Oh yes... and it does."

"Oh."

Sebastian frees Ciel's contracted eye from the eyepatch slowly, releasing his vision from its confinement once more. 

"I must teach you how to switch, now. Then I can meet with Taurus to ask him a few questions."

"Alright, then."

Sebastian leads Ciel into the center of the room, backing up far enough as to see him wholly.

"Sebastian-"

"Call me Corvus while around others. I don't want anyone hearing my real name."

"I thought Corvus was your real name?"

"Yes... I suppose it was my given name. But I consider the name you gave me my real name, Ciel."

"Oh."

A light blush taints Ciel's cheeks as he fidgets there in the circle.

The entire situation has been absurd from the start. It is almost amusing how, in such little time, one could go from such a state or arrogance and pride, to be thrown into the depths of hell to deal with a someone whom you'd anticipated to end your life. Sebastian clears his throat, signaling Ciel's thoughts to come crawling back to reality. 

"Alright now... I want you to focus on serenity."

Sebastian crosses his arms.

Ciel's attention is drawn back to the room, his doe-like eyes focused and proud as a Phantomhive should be.

"Serenity... serenity?"

"Yes. Close your eyes. Think of absolute peace. Feel relaxed as you drift into sedation."

Ciel's arms drop to his sides, his eyes are closed as he feels a warmth travel up his spine. It feels like sunlight dancing along his back, yet the kind of sunlight you see only on cloudy days... sad yet alluring, covering the entire sky in a deluded kind of strength. 

"Very good... now think of truth. No lies. Only you... you are all there is. Focus on my voice."

"You... you're very good at this."

Whispers Ciel.

"No, my love... you are."

He feels something soft floating around him, but he barely takes notice in the feeling of the slight draft surrounding him. His mind is still at ease as the smells of a garden in spring assault his nose with its perfume-like smell. 

"Mmm... you've taken to this easier than most."

"What do you me-"

Ciel's eyes snap open and they are greeted with the view of black rose petals floating in the air around him... the fallen leaves fluttering as it all disappears.

"What do you mean, Sebastian?"

Ciel's mind is muddled with confusion.

"You mean you've taught others?"

"Ciel I told you that I used to live with these demons... I am over a thousand years old. I am not slow to adit that they're are more demonic than most demons are... and I do not take pride in what I have done for them."

Ciel's eyes are glued to the ground as he contemplates this.

"I-I'm sorry I just... I hadn't thought-"

"It's alright. Those days are far behind me. I haven't done that sort of thing in hundreds of years. I assure you... when one is young they are easily influenced by the lives of others."

"Alright. Well... good."

Ciel's eyes droop closed again, and Sebastian is baffled at how much Ciel has learned to trust him... grateful that he has.

"Remember... you are a flower drifting through the breeze."

Sebastian sighs. 

And as his voice picks up once more, the feeling of petals and leaves surrounds Ciel again, and his fingertips tingle... his entire body is taken in a gust of wind that lifts him higher and higher until-

"Open you're eyes."

Ciel does so, and is struck with a short bout of dizziness wherein the glimmering cave spins slightly. When his eyes focus back on Sebastian, he is walking towards the boy with a hellish smirk upon his hellish face.

"What are you looking at?"

Sebastian takes Ciel's hand in his and spins him on his heel. His head is thrown back is the sudden enchantment before Sebastian's arms cradle him again as he graciously embraces the child. 

"You're beautiful."

He whispers.

Ciel looks down at himself, and what he finds fuzzes his mind further. His feet are covered in black leather laced boots with a heel, the top of the shoe reaching his mid calf. The black knee high socks are a perfect color match to the netted and laced stockings he wears. His shorts of matching ebony embody little tuffs of lace of either side, small black and red roses lining the top of the embellishments. 

His shirt is ruffled with small, delicate pearls running down the front to his vest. Beyond this, a long, flowing bustle adorns his backside, the large bow crowded with a large red and black flower with spikes, pearls and leaves crowning it down to the long lace and netting that layers him down to his feet.

He examines his hands, which are covered in lace down to his fingers, which are tipped with similar nails as Sebastian's... looking more clawed and fiendish than human. And above his high collar, he reaches up to find two small horns... curving down towards his toes; smaller little spikes of black ivory following his crown down to his ears.

His skin does have the same strange coloring as Sebastian's, though it is lighter, less intense and noticeable. Looking less like charred flesh and more like a light dusting of ash. Ciel's attire is completely black... matching his mate perfectly as he pulls him closer; his nose mere inches from Ciel's. Ciel then feels two small, pointed fangs assaulting his mouth and tongue as he opens it to speak.

"I-I am?"

Sebastian answers by planting a kiss on the young demon's neck... right next to his jawline.

"Yes."

He whispers,

"You are."


	27. Chapter 27

The icy drafts that flow through the halls beat at Ciel's back as he enters the bedchamber Sebastian and him share. Warmth blooms throughout his torso and arms and the air inside the stone walls envelops him in an array of darkness and heat. Sebastian's sinewy fingers brush against the boy's coltish leg and he steps in further, closing the door behind them. One could suppose, that in an array of death and chaos... fiendish decay and demonized youth, you could become quite lost within the endeavors of another. But, perhaps Ciel is nearly already lost within the endeavors of another; Sebastian being the causes of all that he is.

"Sebastian, you must speak with Taurus soon."

"Yes, yes... I know. Given the implications of our relationship, I am unsure as to when it would be appropriate to start asking for information."

Ciel succumbs to his tiredness as he sinks into the lavish armchair in the corner of the room, his bustle sinking into the plush as his horns poke the large backing of the chair.

"Whatever do you mean?"

"I mean that if we are to take our leave anytime soon, we must first finish our 'contract'. Does my love understand?"

He is looking at Ciel pointedly, yet the boy's confused expression leaves the words slumped in the air.

Sebastian sighs deeply as he begins to explain away the wanton words floating down from around them.

"You see, since we are friending this contract of ours, implying that you are not a half-blood, yet a full-blooded demon, we must find a way to end it before we take our leave. Think of something easily attainable that can be taken care of quickly, if you will. As soon as the act is underway, I can begin questioning Taurus."

"I see."

The former earl sits back into the dusty covering of the chair, his slim fingers winding themselves in the gold trimmings and fringe outlining the beautiful picture before Sebastian.

"I shall think on that... but tonight I am too tired, Sebastian. It must be awfully late."

The eldest demon smirks at the demonling's lithe appearance as he gazes at Sebastian through hooded lid, knowing full-well that the path chosen was never thought to be easy.

Ciel's gaze pulls Sebastian to him, his hand wrapping around one of the numerous chains adorning his side. Sebastian leans down slowly, resting a hand on an arm of the chair. Ciel is at ease, like this... his true form enlightened as he basks in the underworld. This realm of loathing and deprivation merely welcoming in a sense. He runs a finger along one of Sebastian's curled and gnarled horns, his finger grazing along every ridge and notch in the obsidion ivory spirals. As his left leg rises to brush against Sebastian's hip, soft lace scratches along black leather in a most endearing way.

"Ciel."

"Hmm?"

Ciel's eyes are closed, his black-tipped and clawed fingers brushing against Sebastian's neck and thigh.

"Perhaps the thing you need is information... and that is the contract we made?"

Ciel's eyes open as he pulls his lips away from Sebastian.

"Perhaps... yes, that may work. Hiding in plain sight."

He chuckles.

"Yes, indeed."

Ciel smirks then, pulling his lover into a bruising kiss. His hips brush against Sebastian's delicately, his breath hitching in his throat much as the words would've stopped there months ago. Their tongues tangle in a dance as Sebastian lifts him gently, carrying the wanton little thing to the plush bed.

His kisses leave the child breathless, writhing underneath the elder as his wrists are pushed further down into the plush below them. His panting comes out in whispers as Sebastian's lips graze along his ear and neck; his tongue brushing against pale skin. Darkness spills from the two as if caught in a lively riverdance... and Ciel supposes he could stay here like this for an eternity. 

He supposes he could stay here, wrapped in his lover's arms... letting every instinct into the ballet winding its-self up and around thin arms and shoulders. Yes... he could stay here forever. Though he'd never thought he'd had to.


	28. Chapter 28

"Ah, of course! Corvus, you can always ask me about contracts, you know. I can't believe you were gone for so long. What exactly were you doing, eh?"

Sebastian follows the thick latin-accented demon down the winding halls of the underground facility. Ciel is back at the dorms, safely awaiting his return. 

"I had a contract with a boy that lasted for longer than I had anticipated. His parents had died in a fire. He was quite fiery. Full of resentment and wanted vengeance. You know... revenge stories are always the same."

"Yes, I see. I see."

Taurus holds the lantern high to shine candlelight on the surface of an old door at the end of the hallway. The surface of the wood is carved in delicate inscriptions of a hellish language... the characters sinister and inhuman. 

"We had to blast out part of the chambers to get to this... but we found an old library dating back to the year 1398. I'm sure there is plenty information to be found. We've been going through stacks and stacks of books, files and paper and still haven't read it all. Part of it is in a different language. It's probably dead... too old for us to understand."

"Like this?"

Sebastian runs his long, sinewy fingers across the scarred elder of the door.

"Yes, just like that. The earliest document we've found so far is from two thousand years ago. As you know, the extinctions happened a mere one thousand or so ago... so we should be able to find something of use for you."

The air is cold, stale and smelling of death as the two fiends step inside the confines of the large, dusty room. 

The walls and ceiling are so large it looks more like a vast cave filled with the knowledge of the deities than a library; with passages leading the way off into other caverns and hallways. The bookshelves are stacked high with tomes of every shape and size, leather-bound and cloth with leaflet pages. 

"First, I have a question to ask you."

"Alright, then. But it does seem arbitrary for your little one to want know this stuff."

Sebastian chuckles. 

"Taurus... I've known you since your bouts with the gangs of centuries ago. If anyone, you have first hand knowledge. All I want to know from you is what killed them all... not why."

Taurus turns his head, seemingly holding his breath until he exhales slowly, scratching his chin as he looks back at Sebastian. 

"Corvus, listen, I... I only know a few things."

He gestures for the elegant demon to sit next to him on a small stone bench in the corner of the bigger room.

"I know your father was involved. Indirectly, of course... but I'm sure you thought of that."

Sebastian nods slyly, listening in to Taurus' raw and deep accent. 

"Now you and I know he was a half blood... and I'm sure you understood the implications of those who knew this. So it's understandable that his relations with that community were underground. It would've made it easier if it weren't though... because it's taken us ages to find this one thing out."

He looks at Sebastian with an almost comedically cautious expression.

"You see... half bloods can turn us full-blooded demon into Angels. How? We do not know. That's why I said it would've been easier if your father's actions during that period weren't so secretive, because he would've been a direct source of information."

Sebastian leans back, letting the gears turn in his mind. Everything starts to piece together slightly, and he realizes what his and Ciel's next move should most-likely be. 

"Well that's as good an answer as any, I suppose."

Taurus nods as he smirks.

He seems to pick up the slight tinge of amusement at the mention of Ciel, for his playful hit upon Sebastian's back jars him slightly as he sighs, standing up.

"I'm gonna' leave you to do your work. I wish you the best of luck with that boy."

He starts laughing then... loud and bubbling in his stomach. He throws his head back as he exits the library, his laugh continuing down the hall. Sebastian's eyelashes flutter over his ruby eyes for a moment as he muses over the large-horned demon walking down that hallway. 

"My dear Ciel... you will get whatever you desire."


	29. Chapter 29

"An act of sacrifice? As in, a moment wherein one undergoes trauma or loss for the sake of love? That's how I can turn a demon into a an angel?"

"Correct. At least, that is what my research found. But you mustn't speak a word of this. It's quite probable that we may be the only ones with this knowledge."

Sebastian whispers, cradling Ciel in his arms. The room is black with darkness, a heavy blanket covering the two. They speak in hushed tones, eyes darting across the room at any sign of movement.

"I see. Plans are changing. I'm curious, now... perhaps there are documents hidden somewhere explaining this further."

Sebastian runs his lithe fingers through shimmering cobalt locks of hair... subsequently nuzzling the boy closer to him.

"Either way the wind blows... it's high time we leave, is it not?"

"I agree. This puzzle is coming together quite nicely."

He speaks to no one in particular, his voice echoing softly around the walls made of ash and bone... and the tears of the corrupt souls that float through the air on wings made of sand.

"We shall leave at the break of dawn."

~.~.~.~.

Sebastian awakes in the morning to a pounding headache and an empty bed. His eyes are unfocused... his mind muddled. He feels as though he's been drugged... or like he has just recovered from a heavy night of drinking. His groggy mind reacts slowly to Ciel's absence.

"Ciel... Ciel? Ciel!"

But soon enough he scrambles out of bed, frantically searching for his mate. When there's no sign of him in the corner, nor the chair, nor under the bed... he opens the door with a bang. 

A note has been left on the floor. It's crumpled... stained with red. Blood. It's stained with blood. There's a trail of the crimson life-force dancing from upon the parchment all the way down the stone corridor and stretching out of sight. The eerie image flashes off warnings inside Sebastian's head as he hastily unfolds the soiled paper.

'Come find me.'

"Damn it! Damn it all to hell!"

He slams the bloodied thing down onto the ground and it lands in a mess of the dizzying red. His head is spinning, his eyes ablaze with the hellfire of trust... the hellfire of loving something for once in his wretched existence. He's brining up. His bones are on fire. They're cracking and breaking and leaving room for the mourning he is afraid he must endure.

He runs down the hall, following the crystalline droplets that reek of a certain bicolored-eyed boy. His feet waltz through the stuff... tracking it further and widening the trail. It sticks to his bare feet, sending chills of rage throughout him. And he finally reaches the end of the hall. He slows. He's never been through this door. His instincts are screaming. His hands are shaking. Whoever took Ciel really didn't take their time, now did they? What if it's a trap? What if as soon as he walks through this door someone waiting with an enchanted sword ends his life? What if in attempting to save the child he disappears and leaves him helpless once again? His hair stands up on the back of his neck. He opens the door.

A gust of wind gallops past his ears as his eyes adjust to the ominous darkness ahead. There's a light shining somewhere at the end of the endless pit of black, and so he steps into it willingly. The only sounds that follow are his footsteps splashing through something beneath him and the door shutting behind him. Everything is all to quiet and he wonders what the mysterious moistness under his feet is. But he has no time to ponder and he rushes through the dank, dark hall.

There's another assault on his pupils as they dilate... encountering the bright, feigned sunlight that slips through the leaves of trees on the other side. A forest full of every kind of tree arches and twines and reaches towards the sky in front of him. The spotted shade makes the forest all the more intimidating and mysterious as he begins to make his way along the single path before him. It curls around the greenery a little ways away... and when he turn the corner he sees the path winding and curving like a garden snake. The blood on the grounds fades away into the grass as it grows higher... its unkempt appearance rustling with the chilling breeze. The wood is gnarled and burned on some of the great oak he passes... the bark twisting and curving grotesquely.

It seems as though an eternity passes, though he finally reaches a clearing with a tall, brick building nestled and entwined within the grasses. The red of the walls is dark and laced with vines, serving as an awesome background to the corroding black marble statues scattered along the grounds. He steps closer. He can almost smell Ciel. He can almost feel him pulsing within him... around him as he walks towards the red-brick.

It's eerily quiet. Nothing is making a sound. Even the wind seems to evade the clearing... for all that is to be heard is Sebastian's footsteps shattering the twigs and dried grass beneath his feet as he approaches the tall building. Nothing leads up to the front door... no cobblestone walkway or paved path. The grass and vines just simply grow and overtake the walls around the door. And a pile of leaves and cut down branches rest right beneath the doorstep. There's a cold, dark aura surrounding the structure... as if an eternal shade surrounds it and avoids any sunlight hitting the concrete. His hands don't want to move. His mind is screaming at him... telling him that this is all too ridiculous to not be a dream. But his senses are telling him that he would've woken up by now... and the way his devilish heart is beating out of his chest attests to that. 

But if there's a chance... if there's a chance Ciel is in this building somewhere... perhaps tied to a bed or a metal slab... there's no way he is going to risk losing that child. So he puts every single defense he has up. He becomes like a fortress made of strength and determination. He must not be hurt. He must save his one and only love. He must open the door. He must. He must. He must not fail nor batt an eye. He must not look to his feet as they begin scratching through fallen leaves and branches. He must not shudder nor shiver nor shake. He must be strong as he turns the metal handle to the door. He must. And he does. He opens the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been gone! I've finally gotten past my block with this story. Expect two more chapters and an epilogue!


	30. Chapter 30

The door creaks on its old, leaden-hued hinges as a gust of cold, salty air dances upon hhis cheeks and face. He peers inside at the dark, narrow hallway ahead. It's lined with other doors similar to this one, stretching all the way back into a shadow that overwhelms the rest of the image. The floor is black and white checkering, much like the bathing room floors of the long forgotten Phantomhive manor... though these tiles are caked and cracked with decay and ruin.

Sebastian steps over the doorstep and onto the achromatic hallway, carefully feeling, tasting, touching and hearing his surroundings. The rooms lining the walls are empty. He can tell, for there is not the rotting scent of bodies, nor the tugging at him of a soul. No screams or voices echo around them, and so he continues his walking. The echoing of his feet become louder... as if he was reaching a narrowing or curvature of the hallway.

But then he does hear a scream. The blood on the floor starts to pick up again after its disappearance in the grasses. It smells like Ciel. The scream smells like Ciel. Ciel is banging on the door at the end of the hall, calling out to Sebastian himself... screaming for him. And when Sebastian starts running, it's like there's an immeasurable amount of power and connection flowing between him and the door. But Ciel is unaware of his lover's whereabouts... and so when a loud crash is heard on the side of the door he cannot see, he ceases his cries and stumbles backwards. 

The open wounds on Ciel's ribs are bleeding uselessly. Taurus knew that when he cut him, he is sure. But the pain is incomparable to the agony of him being split from his mate whilst he is drugged asleep beside him. Nothing can compare to the horror of him knowing that this is a trap for both of them... knowing that this is his fault. So he hopes, if only for Sebastian's sake, that the demon banging, pounding, and kicking at the door is not him. If only for Sebastian's sake, he hopes that it is only another cultist waiting to slice another piece of skin from him.

But Sebastian didn't listen to his intuition, and so he keeps banging, wondering why Ciel's voice has stopped. He kicks at the door endlessly... and the bolts on the hinges are loosening slowly. Sebastian would've never thought someone he once called a friend would ever do this to him... though the plan has been thought out moment by moment from the time the two arrived in the district of Juven.

"Ciel!"

He finally calls out... only because he cannot help to do so. And when Ciel hears Sebastian's voice echo outside his jailhouse door, the tears that were already flowing down his cheeks flow faster.

"Sebastian!"

And now he is desperate for him to leave... to go back without him. Because for the first time in his life he does not care whether or not he gets out alive. He does not want Sebastian to save him, for he wants him to save himself.

"Sebastian! No! You have to go back! Now! Please! It's a trap! Please! Go back! Now!"

"No!"

"Yes! Hurry! Before they hear you! Before it's too late! You have to go!"

But Sebastian doesn't want to leave him here. He cannot leave him here. Not after everything. He knows he can take whomever comes their way. He knows he cannot live without Ciel, anyways.

"No!"

And as he says this, the door comes flying off its hinges. 

Ciel scrambles backwards, covering his face with his arms. Sebastian's form can be seen in the doorway, and Ciel begins to sob when he is taken up in the embrace of his former butler.

"What happened? I'm so sorry, Ciel. I-"

"That's what I was trying to tell you, Sebastian! It was Taurus... he knows I'm a half blood and wants to kill us both for bringing me here. It's a trap... it's a trap and it's my fault! Everything is my fault. I'm sorry-"

But Sebastian only holds him tighter.

Until the clanking of boots can be heard rounding the corner.

"Hide. Now, Ciel."

his eyes flash fuchsia, and Ciel cannot help but obey. The room is empty save for the remnants of furniture that used to house someone's life. Ciel takes refuge under an old, crooked desk; two legs shattered and laying on the wooden floor.

He hears to boots stop at the doorway. He knows Sebastian is waiting.

"Corvus. Just in time."

"I suppose I am... though I hope you don't really think you'll get away with this. The laws were placed centuries ago banning warfare and malice against half bloods."

"Ah, yes... and so were the laws banning Juvin trafficking. But I still do that, don't I?"

"You make me sick."

Feathers start dancing into the air as Sebastian quickly takes to his demon form, spreading his impressive wings as means of intimidation.

"Why are you always hiding in that little, human body of yours? Hmm? Is it because you're ashamed?"

Taurus steps closer and closer to the ravening demon, his horns casting an eerie shadow upon the floor. Then Sebastian's eyes flicker to the weapon he is carrying... and he snickers at his opponent.

A spear, sharp at both ends is nestled in Taurus' wrath grasp, its metal tips surely dipped in poison.

"Nice stick."

"Thank you. But its full of lethal poison. And you won't be saying that when it's pierced through both of your hearts as I parade you around the district... will you, now?"

Sebastian snarls.

"Speaking of which... where is your little one, eh? I know you're hiding somewhere, runt! I can smell you."

Ciel listens closely as Taurus addresses him, trembling as he pushes farther back under the appliance.

Then Taurus turns back to the issue at hand.

"I've always known he was a half-ling. He reeks of human flesh-"

But then Sebastian lunges at him, his hands held tightly around his neck. Taurus emits a low growl, pushing Sebastian off of him roughly. Sebastian is weaponless, and so he rakes his claws along Taurus' chest, scratching him like a cat in heat. Taurus spins the spear in his hand, wielding it above his head.

Ciel peaks out around the side of the desk, hand over his mouth. He watches Sebastian dodge blow after blow. He watches him get more and more out of breath as he grows weaker and weaker from fatigue. He watches when the poison-tipped weapon grazes Sebastian's shoulder and he starts to bleed.

The raven lets out a hiss, hoping upon hope that whatever poison it's filled with is slow and not particularly paralyzing. He can deal with his breathing slowing... but if he couldn't move, it would be over in a moment. And it is, when he can only dodge two more strikes before his legs give out completely... and he drops to his knees. Taurus wields the thing above his head... and thrusts it at him.

He closes his eyes.

But he feels no pain. 

And when he opens his eyes, everything stops.


	31. Chapter 31

Sebastian's heart beats and bleeds like anyone else's. But it is neither beating nor bleeding when his eyes catch the scene before him. Yes, there is blood. But it is not his. Everyone bleeds red... but this red is like the red that starts fires in hearts and minds. It's the kind of red that you'd never want to see spilling from a child whom has sacrificed themselves for you. But that's exactly when Sebastian sees.

Ciel is in front of him. And the spear is thrust clean through him.

"No!"

And when he falls like leaves into Sebastian's arms, he sees the other end has taken out the ram demon in front of them. they both fall, but Taurus isn't breathing... and thankfully, Ciel is.

"No."

Sebastian catches him weakly, easing down to the floors with the boy in his lap.

"Sebastian."

"Shh... please, don't try to say anything."

Sebastian's first instinct is to pull the weapon from him. And so he does. But Ciel cries out in pain, and it hurts him badly to hear it. He throws the wretched thing off to the side... and turns his attention to the wound in Ciel's stomach.

He has no words... no thoughts. All he can hear is a faint buzzing sound as he takes in the severity of the damage. There is blood spilling out of him like precious gems... and even when Sebastian rips the child's white nightshirt to push into him, all it does it bleed more... and stain the demon's hands in crimson regret.

But then he feels the child's fingertips graze along his cheek. And he looks to see the purest of expressions upon his angelic face. It's a look of love... of sorrow, sadness and pride. But his eyes are swimming with the tears that won't fall any longer, and his mouth is lightly stained red. Sebastian pulls him ever closer.

"It'll be alright. You'll be alright."

He coos, stroking along his hair damp with sweat. 

"And so will you."

And what Ciel means by that is not that he will live. No. He is trying to tell Sebastian that he'll be alright without him. He is trying to tell him that he's happy... and that everything is finally okay. He is trying to tell him goodbye.

It didn't have to be this way.

Sebastian bites his tongue, shaking his head slowly as he holds his weakening body closer than he's ever held anyone before. Ciel's abdomen is on fire, but he does not elude to this... because his arms and legs are quickly starting to fall weak. And his eyelids are drooping. But he never wants to stop looking at Sebastian. He is so, so tired... but he knows. He knows that it is not sleep he is fighting, but death himself. 

And somewhere far away, he realizes that he is scared... that he doesn't want to leave Sebastian's side. He realizes that Sebastian is all that matters, now. And so he focuses upon his face for a while. 

He can sleep later.

"Sebastian... Sebastian... Sebastian... I love you."

Sebastian's hardened heart breaks in two. And there are the tears... the tears that have laid dormant for a millennia. For nearly the first time in Sebastian's life... there are so many tears.

"I know. I love you too, little one."

He says this is english, and Ciel's eyes light up... because it is just like old times. It is just like the first time. And he smiles.

"But please... don't close your eyes."

He's asking him not to leave. 

But his eyelids are growing heavier... and nothing seems to matter anymore.

"It's alright... it doesn't hurt."

But it hurts Sebastian... and he cannot stand it. He gathers the boy up tightly in his arms... kisses his forehead gently.

"Goodnight, my love."

"Goodnight... Sebastian."

One last tear squeezes from the boy's right eye as both of his eyelids drop closed. 

And his breath is slow. 

Everything is slow.

Sebastian holds him close.

 

Then the boy stops breathing.

And everything is white.


	32. Chapter 32

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wow... last chapter. DONT WORRY MY LIL CIEL IS STILL ALIVE !! I wouldn't really kill him, my gosh. Anywho- this chapter plus the epilogue (yes there is an epilogue) has been up on Wattpad for awhile now. So I'm sorry for neglecting you readers. ;-; wattpad readers are much more demanding :3
> 
> So, without further wait, here it is:

The intense light floods everything around the two in a haze of crystalline smoke and angelic hues. Sebastian's body becomes numb and he looses the heavy feeling of Ciel in his arms. He closes his eyes tightly... or so he thinks he does... but the deafening whiteness overtakes everything around him.

"Ciel!"

He begins shouting for his mate, though he knows that no answer will come. The boy is dead. And he is alone.

"Agh-"

He cannot shield his eyes, for it feels as though he is everywhere and nowhere all at once; as if he is expanding and contracting into what is known as the observable universe... as if he is no longer in hell.

And then he hears the singing. And it frightens him at first... but then his tears become relentless... and he knows. He knows that this is the song of angels. He knows that these voices were never meant to be heard by his ears.

"Ciel, where are you?"

He whispers quietly into the haze, his body weightless. And he supposes that he is being punished... or killed. Perhaps the wrath of god knew of his faults all along and is now punishing him for his sins.

But then he feels a familiar hand upon his cheek. And he thinks, perhaps he is being forgiven.

"I'm right here, Sebastian. I'm right here."

Sebastian's mind stills, for he is not to know whether his body does the same. The fingers grazing along his flesh are softer than almost anything he's felt before. And he stifles what he assumes is a gasp. And then the light slowly fades away.

"Ciel!"

"Shh... wait a moment."

The boy leans closer to Sebastian, closing his eyes and planting a kiss upon his lips. Warmth spreads throughout his body, giving way to feeling and expelling the numbness from him. They are still set tight in the abandoned room laden with things from the past. But Ciel is alive. And he is beautiful. 

His contracted eye glows a bright, silver white; his blue one glimmering and swimming with glittering shades of midnight; mixing with the colors of the sky above. He is adorned in white, and a spiraling of pearl-colored vines extend from the once-cursed eye and travel down around his neck. The tattoo shimmers and wavers when he steps closer to Sebastian, his bustle nearly dragging the floor behind him as his laced boot clip across the flooring. His wings are outstretched behind him, but they aren't black and burned as before. They are pure white and feathered like a dove's. They suit him quite well. His lips are so soft. And his kiss feels like heaven.

Sebastian himself is clothed in silver and white. And his once-red eyes are now a glimmering pool of the finest, oceanic silk. His massive wings are changed as well, and only their hair remains the same as it has always been; the strands simply now collecting the light the two emit and bouncing it off in waves.

"How..."

Sebastian trails off once they break away, for he must now realize what Ciel already knows: that Ciel has committed an act of sacrifice. That Ciel is a half blood and the only one of his kind whom can turn demons in to what they are now: Angels.

"You knew this would happen?"

Ciel runs his fingers down the length of Sebastian's arm, trailing a similar tattoo from his that stems from a circle of depicted leaves and flowers on the back of Sebastian's right hand.

"If I had, it wouldn't have been a sacrifice, would it?"

Ciel looks from his hand to his eyes, his own achromatic eyes watering with the realization that the two would never be lonesome again. Their bond is still as strong as ever; their contract not gone, but changed.

"No, I suppose not."

Sebastian embraces Ciel tighter than he ever has before, wrapping his arms tightly around him. They rest their foreheads together for a moment, breathing each other in and holding them close. They hold each other so, so close... and when Ciel plants a small, open-mouthed kiss to Sebastian's jaw, he smiles. He smiles genuinely. For the first time in decades, he smiles genuinely.

"Oh, god... Ciel I thought I'd lost you!"

Ciel gives him a watery smile, little biting tears trailing silver rivers across his flawless face.

"As did I. I mean, I- I was so scared. I didn't want to leave you, I-"

And then he begins to sob, and he buried his face in Sebastian's shoulder once more. And just as always, Sebastian is there to dry his tears and pull him ever closer in the faded light of the dusty room.

"Shh... you're okay. You're okay. You're not going anywhere, Ciel. And I'm right here. I always will be."

And slowly, his body stops shaking and his fists unclench from around Sebastian's shoulder.

"I love you."

He murmurs.

"I love you, too."

Is the reply.

"Everything will be alright."

And it felt as though he were speaking the thoughts of the universe... for a sense of contentment washed over the two as they stares deeply into each other's eyes. Until Sebastian speaks again,

"Where is Taurus?"

Ciel replies,

"Look behind you."

Sebastian let him go for a moment to spin around swiftly, worrying over the safety of the boy. But what he sees alarms him no more than if he were to see a kitten in the road: Taurus's intimidating horns are gone, instead replaced by wings of his own that are outstretched and tangled in a mess behind the still-unconscious creature. He, too, is robed in white; garnished with silver jewelry and shoes.

Sebastian releases a relived sigh, turning back to to his lover's shining, forever-impish smile.

"Does that mean the rest of them are safe, as well?"

Ciel shakes his head.

"All I know is that darkness shrivels wherever the light touches. And I do not know how far the light has spread."

And then Ciel realizes how cold the air around them really is, and Sebastian does to, for though they are contented, they are uncomfortable.

"Then I suppose hell is no place for an angel."

"No, it is not."

And so they took each other in hand, worrying not about the faintly angel they knew would awaken soon, and stepped through the dark hallway and out into the forested clearing. And they let their wings unfold into the sun... and began to fly away.

It felt good to fly... and they felt a force stronger than anything pulling them towards a light in the sky. They trusted that light as they followed it. It was exhilarating and heartwarming... if not a bit frightening. But they knew what they were doing was right. And they knew that they would be okay.

Then they saw the white of many angel's wings behind them, and knew that the instinct to fly away must be strong enough for all to feel and know of. Though they also knew that hell could never lay dormant... for as long as there is light, there is darkness. 

One cannot exist without the other. 

But for now... they were light. 

And they never had to worry about darkness again.

Fin.


	33. Chapter 33

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fin.

This is how an angel dies. 

When they are ready; when their purpose has been fulfilled and their duties done... they ascend further. They become something intangible: a star, a comment... a burst of light and energy that lives on in the universe until every single particle of its being has been dispersed and can begin anew.

This was how Ciel was born.

And this was how Ciel would die.

Sebastian, too. But their purposes and duties were still quite unknown. And every single process that they would have to undergo was still in the making... would still take many measurements of time to conceive and idealize. The cycle of life and death takes millenniums. And they knew that they would still find one another no matter how long it took. 

Ciel still had much to learn about his own emmanuel.

 

The waves were so beautiful. They danced and ebbed along a beach of white sand and sparkling seashells. The sky was a bright, cloudless blue. The sun hung in the sky like a diamond made of fire and ice. And Ciel and Sebastian were safe and sound, their toes buried in that shimmering powder. This might not last forever... but what would be the matter? 

Everything was okay. 

And forever is an illusion. 

The sun was a great, golden orb floating in a cloudless sky. Their skin was salty and soft; like the crashing waves themselves. Ciel's hair was being tossed by the warm breeze coming from the waves made of prayers. And there was a warmth around them; like God's hand was cradling their wings in the flesh of millions. Sebastian held Ciel's hand close to him, tracing unknown patterns in the skin of his palm. It felt searing to Ciel, but not in a bad way. The fire pouring from Sebastian's heart was no longer the flames of black and ember; rather the blue flames of white-hot stars and ice and love and the passions of a beast. 

But they were no longer beasts.

A golden heart was beating inside Ciel's breast, liquid light flooding through his veins instead of a dark, black, brooding blood. His tears were no longer smudged and burned into his skin, but rather made of diamonds. His bones were steel and aluminum; unbreakable. His hair was woven from silk and dewdrops... and it sparkled in the sun. His skin was the same ivory as always... but now, it was untainted and clean. 

He was new... like a babe. 

He was ready.

But he was also ageless and ancient. He had an old soul; one that would never truly rest. His spirit was as lithe as a flower and as sprung as a bee. His mind was clear and free from almost all distress. 

 

And Sebastian loved him.

 

Ciel's voice was like a velvet violin when he spoke,

"I do not wish to see another storm after all of this."

 

And Sebastian agreed.

 

Fin.


End file.
